Phage tailspike modularity and horizontal gene transfer reveals specificity towards E. coli O-antigen serogroups.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The interaction between bacteriophages and their hosts is intricate and highly specific. Receptor-binding proteins (RBPs) of phages such as tail fibers and tailspikes initiate the infection process. These RBPs bind to diverse outer membrane structures, including the O-antigen, which is a serogroup-specific sugar-based component of the outer lipopolysaccharide layer of Gram-negative bacteria. Among the most virulent Escherichia coli strains is the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) pathotype dominated by a subset of O-antigen serogroups.

Methods

Extensive phylogenetic and structural analyses were used to identify and validate specificity correlations between phage RBP subtypes and STEC O-antigen serogroups, relying on the principle of horizontal gene transfer as

SUBMITTER: Pas C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10408124 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature