scholarly journals The Transmembrane Morphogenesis Protein gp1 of Filamentous Phages Contains Walker A and Walker B Motifs Essential for Phage Assembly

Viruses ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Loh ◽  
Maximilian Haase ◽  
Lukas Mueller ◽  
Andreas Kuhn ◽  
Sebastian Leptihn
Keyword(s):  
Phage Assembly ◽  
Filamentous Phages

scholarly journals The Transmembrane Morphogenesis Protein gp1 of Filamentous Phages Contains Walker A and Walker B Motifs Essential for Phage Assembly

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belinda Loh ◽  
Maximilian Haase ◽  
Lukas Mueller ◽  
Andreas Kuhn ◽  
Sebastian Leptihn
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Motor ◽  
Inner Membrane ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Domain Movement ◽  
Host Cell Wall ◽  
Phage Assembly ◽  
Phage Production ◽  
Key Residues ◽  
Filamentous Phages

In contrast to lytic phages, filamentous phages are assembled in the inner membrane and secreted across the bacterial envelope without killing the host. For assembly and extrusion of the phage across the host cell wall, filamentous phages code for membrane-embedded morphogenesis proteins. In the outer membrane of E. coli, the protein gp4 forms a pore-like complex, while gp1 and gp11 form a complex in the inner membrane of the host. By comparing sequences with other filamentous phages, we identified putative Walker A and B motifs in gp1 with a conserved lysine in the Walker A motif (K14), and a glutamic and aspartic acid in the Walker B motif (D88, E89). In this work we demonstrate that both, Walker A and Walker B, are essential for phage production. The crucial role of these key residues suggest that gp1 is likely to be a molecular motor driving phage assembly. We further identified essential residues for the function of the assembly complex. Mutations in three out of six cysteine residues abolish phage production. Similarly, two out of six conserved glycine residues are crucial for gp1 function. We hypothesise that the residues represent molecular hinges allowing domain movement for nucleotide binding and phage assembly.

Site-specific recombination systems in filamentous phages

2012 ◽  
Vol 287 (7) ◽  
pp. 525-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Askora ◽  
M. E. F. Abdel-Haliem ◽  
Takashi Yamada
Keyword(s):  
Site Specific ◽  
Site Specific Recombination ◽  
Filamentous Phages

scholarly journals High Frequency of a Novel Filamentous Phage, VCYϕ, within an Environmental Vibrio cholerae Population

2011 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Xue ◽  
Yan Xu ◽  
Yan Boucher ◽  
Martin F. Polz
Keyword(s):  
Vibrio Cholerae ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Translation Initiation Factor ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Filamentous Phage ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Environmental Biology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Filamentous Phages

ABSTRACTEnvironmentalVibrio choleraestrains isolated from a coastal brackish pond (Oyster Pond, Woods Hole, MA) carried a novel filamentous phage, VCYϕ, which can exist as a host genome integrative form (IF) and a plasmid-like replicative form (RF). Outside the cell, the phage displays a morphology typical ofInovirus, with filamentous particles ∼1.8 μm in length and 7 nm in width. Four independent RF isolates had identical genomes, except for 8 single nucleotide polymorphisms clustered in two regions. The overall genome size is 7,103 bp with 11 putative open reading frames organized into three functional modules (replication, structure and assembly, and regulation). VCYϕ shares sequence similarity with other filamentous phages (including cholera disease-associated CTX) in a highly mosaic manner, indicating evolution by horizontal gene transfer and recombination. VCYϕ integrates in the vicinity of the putative translation initiation factor Sui1 in chromosome II ofV. cholerae. A screen of 531 closely related host isolates showed that ∼40% harbored phages, with 27% and 13% carrying the IF and RF, respectively. The relative frequencies of the RF and IF differed among strains isolated from the pond or lagoon of Oyster Pond, suggesting that the host habitat influences intracellular phage biology. The overall high prevalence within the host population shows that filamentous phages can be an important component of the environmental biology ofV. cholerae.

scholarly journals Pf Filamentous Phage Requires UvrD for Replication in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

mSphere ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eriel Martínez ◽  
Javier Campos-Gómez
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Dna Repair ◽  
Dna Helicase ◽  
Filamentous Phage ◽  
Rolling Circle Replication ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rolling Circle ◽  
Initiator Protein ◽  
Biofilm Development ◽  
Filamentous Phages

ABSTRACT Biofilm development is a key component of the ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to evade host immune defenses and resist multiple drugs. Induction of the filamentous phage Pf, which usually is lysogenized in clinical and environmental isolates of P. aeruginosa, plays an important role in biofilm assembly, maturation, and dispersal. Despite the clinical relevance of Pf, the molecular biology of this phage is largely unknown. In this study, we found that rolling circle replication of Pf depends on UvrD, a DNA helicase normally involved in DNA repair. We also identified the initiator protein of Pf and found that it shares structural similarity with that of Vibrio cholerae phages CTXφ and VGJφ, which also use UvrD for replication. Our results reveal that, in addition to DNA repair, UvrD plays an essential role in rolling circle replication of filamentous phages among diverse bacteria genera, adding a new, previously unrecognized function of this accessory helicase. Pf is a lysogenic filamentous phage that promotes biofilm development in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Pf replicates by a rolling circle replication system which depends on a phage-encoded initiator protein and host factors usually involved in chromosome replication. Rep, an accessory replicative DNA helicase, is crucial for replication of filamentous phages in Escherichia coli. In contrast, here we show that, instead of depending on Rep, Pf replication depends on UvrD, an accessory helicase implicated in DNA repair. In this study, we also identified the initiator protein of Pf and found that it shares similarities with that of Vibrio phages CTXφ and VGJφ, which also depend on UvrD for replication. A structural comparative analysis of the initiator proteins of most known filamentous phages described thus far suggested that UvrD, known as a nonreplicative helicase, is involved in rolling circle replication of filamentous phages in diverse bacteria genera. This report consolidates knowledge on the new role of UvrD in filamentous phage replication, a function previously thought to be exclusive of Rep helicase. IMPORTANCE Biofilm development is a key component of the ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to evade host immune defenses and resist multiple drugs. Induction of the filamentous phage Pf, which usually is lysogenized in clinical and environmental isolates of P. aeruginosa, plays an important role in biofilm assembly, maturation, and dispersal. Despite the clinical relevance of Pf, the molecular biology of this phage is largely unknown. In this study, we found that rolling circle replication of Pf depends on UvrD, a DNA helicase normally involved in DNA repair. We also identified the initiator protein of Pf and found that it shares structural similarity with that of Vibrio cholerae phages CTXφ and VGJφ, which also use UvrD for replication. Our results reveal that, in addition to DNA repair, UvrD plays an essential role in rolling circle replication of filamentous phages among diverse bacteria genera, adding a new, previously unrecognized function of this accessory helicase.

scholarly journals Decoupling Filamentous Phage Uptake and Energy of the TolQRA Motor in Escherichia coli

2019 ◽  
Vol 202 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Poutoum Samire ◽  
Bastien Serrano ◽  
Denis Duché ◽  
Emeline Lemarié ◽  
Roland Lloubès ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Conformational Changes ◽  
Cell Envelope ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Phage Infection ◽  
Filamentous Phage ◽  
Cell Physiology ◽  
Inner Membrane ◽  
Existing Structures ◽  
Energy Consuming ◽  
Filamentous Phages

ABSTRACT Filamentous phages are nonlytic viruses that specifically infect bacteria, establishing a persistent association with their host. The phage particle has no machinery for generating energy and parasitizes its host’s existing structures in order to cross the bacterial envelope and deliver its genetic material. The import of filamentous phages across the bacterial periplasmic space requires some of the components of a macrocomplex of the envelope known as the Tol system. This complex uses the energy provided by the proton motive force (pmf) of the inner membrane to perform essential and highly energy-consuming functions of the cell, such as envelope integrity maintenance and cell division. It has been suggested that phages take advantage of pmf-driven conformational changes in the Tol system to transit across the periplasm. However, this hypothesis has not been formally tested. In order to decouple the role of the Tol system in cell physiology and during phage parasitism, we used mutations on conserved essential residues known for inactivating pmf-dependent functions of the Tol system. We identified impaired Tol complexes that remain fully efficient for filamentous phage uptake. We further demonstrate that the TolQ-TolR homologous motor ExbB-ExbD, normally operating with the TonB protein, is able to promote phage infection along with full-length TolA. IMPORTANCE Filamentous phages are widely distributed symbionts of Gram-negative bacteria, with some of them being linked to genome evolution and virulence of their host. However, the precise mechanism that permits their uptake across the cell envelope is poorly understood. The canonical phage model Fd requires the TolQRA protein complex in the host envelope, which is suspected to translocate protons across the inner membrane. In this study, we show that phage uptake proceeds in the presence of the assembled but nonfunctional TolQRA complex. Moreover, our results unravel an alternative route for phage import that relies on the ExbB-ExbD proteins. This work provides new insights into the fundamental mechanisms of phage infection and might be generalized to other filamentous phages responsible for pathogen emergence.

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