phage shock protein

Prokaryotic antiviral defence systems are frequently toxic for host cells and stringent regulation is required to ensure survival and fitness. These systems must be readily available in case of infection but tightly controlled to prevent activation of an unnecessary cellular response. Here we investigate how the bacterial cyclic oligonucleotide-based antiphage signalling system (CBASS) uses its intrinsic protein modification system to regulate the nucleotide cyclase. By integrating a type II CBASS system from Bacillus cereus into the model organism Bacillus subtilis, we show that the protein-conjugating Cap2 (CBASS associated protein 2) enzyme links the cyclase exclusively to the conserved phage shock protein A (PspA) in the absence of phage...

Thaumarchaeota are predominant in oligotrophic habitats such as deserts and arid soils, but their adaptations to these arid conditions are not well understood. In this study, we assembled 23 Thaumarchaeota genomes from arid and semi-arid soils collected from the Inner Mongolia Steppe and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Using a comparative genomics approach, integrated with 614 Thaumarchaeota genomes from public databases, we identified the traits and evolutionary forces that contribute to their adaptations to aridity...

The Gram-negative Elizabethkingia express multiple antibiotic resistance and cause severe opportunistic infections. Vancomycin is commonly used to treat Gram-positive infections and has also been used to treat Elizabethkingia infections, even though Gram-negative organisms possess a vancomycin permeability barrier. Elizabethkingia anophelis appeared relatively vancomycin-susceptible and challenge with this drug led to morphological changes indicating cell lysis. In stark contrast, vancomycin growth challenge revealed that E...

Entering a dormant state is a prevailing mechanism used by bacterial cells to transiently evade antibiotic attacks and become persisters. The dynamic progression of bacterial dormancy depths driven by protein aggregation has been found to be critical for antibiotic persistence in recent years. However, our current understanding of the endogenous genes that affects dormancy depth remains limited. Here, we discovered a novel role of phage shock protein A ( pspA ) gene in modulating bacterial dormancy depth. Deletion of pspA of Escherichia coli resulted in increased bacterial dormancy depths and prolonged lag times for resuscitation during the stationary phase...

Carbapenem-resistant ST11_KL64 Klebsiella pneumoniae emerged as a significant public health concern in Taiwan, peaking between 2013 and 2015, with the majority of isolates exhibiting OXA-48 as the sole carbapenemase. In this study, we employed whole-genome sequencing to investigate the molecular underpinnings of ST11_KL64 isolates collected from 2013 to 2021. Phylogenomic analysis revealed a notable genetic divergence between the ST11_KL64 strains in Taiwan and those in China, suggesting an independent evolutionary trajectory...

Pseudomonas mandelii SW-3, isolated from the Napahai plateau wetland, can survive in cold environments. The mechanisms underlying the survival of bacteria in low temperatures and high altitudes are not yet fully understood. In this study, the whole genome of SW-3 was sequenced to identify the genomic features that may contribute to survival in cold environments. The results showed that the genome size of strain SW-3 was 6,538,059 bp with a GC content of 59%. A total of 67 tRNAs, a 34,110 bp prophage sequence, and a large number of metabolic genes were found...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes a wide range of hospital and community-acquired infections worldwide. MRSA is associated with worse clinical outcomes that can lead to multiple organ failure, septic shock, and death, making timely diagnosis of MRSA infections very crucial. In the present work, we develop a method that enables the positive enrichment of bacteria from spiked whole blood using protein coated magnetic beads, followed by their lysis, and detection by a real-time multiplex PCR directly...

Cronobacter sakazakii is an opportunistic pathogen linked to outbreaks in powdered infant formula (PIF), primarily causing meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used to characterize 18 C. sakazakii strains isolated from PIF (powdered infant formula) manufacturing plants (2011-2015). Sequence Type (ST) 1 was identified as the dominant sequence type, and all isolates carried virulence genes for chemotaxis, flagellar motion, and heat shock proteins. Multiple antibiotic resistance genes were detected, with all isolates exhibiting resistance to Cephalosporins and Tetracycline...

Despite enabling Streptococcus pneumoniae to acquire antibiotic resistance and evade vaccine-induced immunity, transformation occurs at variable rates across pneumococci. Phase variants of isolate RMV7, distinguished by altered methylation patterns driven by the translocating variable restriction-modification (tvr) locus, differed significantly in their transformation efficiencies and biofilm thicknesses. These differences were replicated when the corresponding tvr alleles were introduced into an RMV7 derivative lacking the locus...

Structural and evolutionary studies of cyanobacterial phage shock protein A (PspA) and inner membrane-associated protein of 30 kDa (IM30) have revealed that these proteins belong to the endosomal sorting complex required for transport-III (ESCRT-III) superfamily, which is conserved across all three domains of life. PspA and IM30 share secondary and tertiary structures with eukaryotic ESCRT-III proteins, whilst also oligomerizing via conserved interactions. Here, we examine the structures of bacterial ESCRT-III-like proteins and compare the monomeric and oligomerized forms with their eukaryotic counterparts...

Residue-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) introduces bio-orthogonal functionalities into proteins. As such, this technique is applied in protein characterization and quantification. Here, we studied protein expression with three methionine analogs, namely photo-methionine (pMet), azidohomoalanine (Aha) and homopropargylglycine (Hpg), in prototrophic E. coli BL-21 and auxotrophic E. coli B834 to maximize ncAA content, thereby assessing the effect of ncAAs on bacterial growth and the expression of cytochrome b5 (b5 M46), green fluorescence protein (MBP-GFP) and phage shock protein A...

Bacteriophages, bacterial viruses, are now being re-highlighted as one of the promising alternative antimicrobial agents to control bacterial pathogens in various fields, including the food industry. However, wild-type (WT) phages isolated from nature are vulnerable to external stresses such as heat, limiting the usability of phages in thermal processing. Here, we applied an adaptive laboratory evolution approach to improving the heat stability of newly isolated Salmonella-infecting lytic phage ΦYMFM0293 and examined its application in the poultry scalding process...

"Non-growing" is a dominant life form of microorganisms in nature, where available nutrients and resources are limited. In laboratory culture systems, Escherichia coli can survive for years under starvation, denoted as long-term stationary phase, where a small fraction of cells manages to survive by recycling resources released from nonviable cells. Although the physiology by which viable cells in long-term stationary phase adapt to prolonged starvation is of great interest, their genome-wide response has not been fully understood...

We previously reported that Vibrio cholerae in a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state can be converted to a culturable state by treatment with catalase. This finding enabled us to develop an assay system to observe the time course of the conversion from VBNC to culturable in V. cholerae. VBNC cells began to convert to culturable cells as early as 2 h after catalase supplementation. Gene expression in VBNC cells during catalase treatment was analyzed using RNA microarray. Many ribosomal DNA genes were stimulated 6 h post catalase exposure, suggesting that the conversion-driving signal started prior to 6 h...

Objectives: The inability of the host immune system to defeat Staphylococcus aureus is due to various secreted virulent factors such as leukocidins, superantigens, and hemolysins, which interrupt the function of immune components. Alpha-hemolysin is one of the most studied cytolysins due to its pronounced effect on developing staphylococcal infections. Alpha-hemolysin-neutralizing antibodies are among the best candidates for blocking the toxin activity and preventing S. aureus pathogenesis...

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcal superantigens are virulence factors that help the pathogen escape the immune system and develop an infection. Toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST)-1 is one of the most studied superantigens whose role in toxic shock syndrome and some particular disorders have been demonstrated. Inhibiting TSST-1 production with antibiotics and targeting TSST-1 with monoclonal antibodies might be one of the best strategies to prevent TSST-1-induced cytokines storm followed by lethality...

The Vibrionaceae encompasses a cosmopolitan group that is mostly aquatic and possesses tremendous metabolic and genetic diversity. Given the importance of this taxon, it deserves continued and deeper research in a multitude of areas. This review outlines emerging topics of interest within the Vibrionaceae. Moreover, previously understudied research areas are highlighted that merit further exploration, including affiliations with marine plants (seagrasses), microbial predators, intracellular niches, and resistance to heavy metal toxicity...

EMBL-EBI The European Bioinformatics Institute; E. coli Escherichia coli; E. faecalis Enterobacter faecalis; B. fragilis Bacteroides fragilis; B. vulgatus Bacteroides vulgatus; SaPIs Staphylococcus aureus pathogenicity islands; ARGs Antibiotic resistance genes; STEC Shiga toxigenic E. coli; Stx Shiga toxin; BLAST Basic Local Alignment Search Tool; TSST-1 Toxic shock toxin 1; RBPs Receptor-binding proteins; LPS lipopolysaccharide; OMVs Outer membrane vesicles; PT Phosphorothioate; BREX Bacteriophage exclusion; OCR Overcome classical restriction; Pgl Phage growth limitation; DISARM Defense island system associated with restrictionmodification; R-M system Restriction-modification system; BREX system Bacteriophage exclusion system; CRISPR Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats; Cas CRISPR-associated; PAMs Prospacer adjacent motifs; crRNA CRISPR RNA; SIE; OMPs; Superinfection exclusion; Outer membrane proteins; Abi Abortive infection; TA Toxin-antitoxin; TLR Toll-like receptor; APCs Antigen-presenting cells; DSS Dextran sulfate sodium; IELs Intraepithelial lymphocytes; FMT Fecal microbiota transfer; IFN-γ Interferon-gamma; IBD Inflammatory bowel disease; AgNPs Silver nanoparticles; MDSC Myeloid-derived suppressor cell; CRC Colorectal cancer; VLPs Virus-like particles; TMP Tape measure protein; PSMB4 Proteasome subunit beta type-4; ALD Alcohol-related liver disease; GVHD Graft-versus-host disease; ROS Reactive oxygen species; RA Rheumatoid arthritis; CCP Cyclic citrullinated protein; AMGs Accessory metabolic genes; T1DM Type 1 diabetes mellitus; T2DM Type 2 diabetes mellitus; SCFAs Short-chain fatty acids; GLP-1 Glucagon-like peptide-1; A...

The twin arginine translocation system (Tat) is a protein export system that is conserved in bacteria, archaea, and plants. In Gram-negative bacteria, it is required for the export of folded proteins from the cytoplasm to the periplasm. In Salmonella, there are 30 proteins that are predicted substrates of Tat, and among these are enzymes required for anaerobic respiration and peptidoglycan remodeling. We have demonstrated that some conditions that induce bacterial envelope stress activate expression of a Δ tatABC-lacZ fusion in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium...

Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, a Gram-negative oral pathobiont causing aggressive periodontitis and systemic infections, demonstrates serum resistance. We have identified a dsDNA-tailed bacteriophage, S1249, which was found to convert from this microorganism inducible by human serum into a lytic state to kill the bacterium. This phage demonstrated active transcripts when exposed to human serum: 20% of genes were upregulated more than 10-fold, and 45% of them were upregulated 5-10-fold when the bacterium was grown in the presence of human serum compared to without the presence of human serum...