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A prophage-expressed type IV pilus component provides anti-phage defense

Kristina M Sztanko1, Taylor J Ellison2, Jill Greenlaw3

  • 1Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada.

Cell Reports
|January 2, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Prophages can protect bacteria from infection by encoding proteins that mimic cell surface structures. These phage-derived proteins, like FimU, prevent further phage attacks by altering bacterial pili, showcasing a novel anti-phage defense strategy.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Bacteriology
  • Virology

Background:

  • Prophages, integrated phage genomes, often provide bacterial defense mechanisms.
  • These defenses commonly involve altering bacterial cell surface receptors to block phage attachment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe novel prophage-encoded proteins resembling FimU.
  • To investigate their role in anti-phage defense within Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of prophage genomes for FimU-like proteins.
  • Investigating the incorporation of these proteins into type IV pili.
  • Assessing the protective effect against specific phage infections.

Main Results:

  • Identified prophage-encoded proteins similar to FimU.
  • These proteins integrate into type IV pili without functional impairment.
  • Demonstrated robust protection against phages targeting the pilus tip.

Conclusions:

  • Prophage FimU-like proteins offer a new mechanism of anti-phage defense.
  • This defense involves replacing bacterial components with phage-encoded proteins.
  • Evolutionary pressure from phage-phage competition likely drives this system's diversity.
Keywords:
CP: microbiologyanti-phage defensephage biologyprophage defensetype IV pilus

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