Temperate phages enhance host fitness via RNA-guided flagellar remodeling.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial flagella drive motility and chemotaxis while also playing critical roles in host-pathogen interactions, as their oligomeric subunit, flagellin, is specifically recognized by the mammalian immune system and flagellotropic bacteriophages. We recently discovered a family of phage-encoded, RNA-guided transcription factors known as TldR that regulate flagellin expression. However, the biological significance for this regulation, particularly in the context of host fitness, remained unknown. By focusing on a human clinical Enterobacter isolate that encodes a Flagellin Remodeling prophage (FRφ), here we show that FRφ exploits the combined action of TldR and its flagellin isoform to dramatically alter the flagellar composition and phenotypic properties of its host. This transformation ha

SUBMITTER: Walker MWG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12330518 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature