Phage SEP1 hijacks Staphylococcus epidermidis stationary cells' metabolism to replicate.

ABSTRACT: In nature, bacteria often survive in a stationary state with low metabolic activity. Phages use the metabolic machinery of the host cell to replicate, and, therefore, their efficacy against non-dividing cells is usually limited. Nevertheless, it was previously shown that the Staphylococcus epidermidis phage SEP1 has the remarkable capacity to actively replicate in stationary-phase cells, reducing their numbers. Here, we studied for the first time the transcriptomic profiles of both exponential and stationary cells infected with SEP1 phage using RNA-seq to gain a better understanding of this rare phenomenon. We showed that SEP1 successfully takes over the transcriptional apparatus of both exponential and stationary cells. Infection was, however, delayed in stationary cells, with gene

SUBMITTER: Silva MD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11265418 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature