Phage Reduce Stability for Regaining Infectivity during Antagonistic Coevolution with Host Bacterium.

ABSTRACT: The coevolution between phage and host bacterium is an important force that drives the evolution of the microbial community, yet the coevolution mechanisms have still not been well analyzed. Here, by analyzing the interaction between a Bacillus phage vB_BthS_BMBphi and its host bacterium, the coevolution mechanisms of the first-generation phage-resistant bacterial mutants and regained-infectivity phage mutants were studied. The phage-resistant bacterial mutants showed several conserved mutations as a potential reason for acquiring phage resistance, including the mutation in flagellum synthesis protein FlhA and cell wall polysaccharide synthesis protein DltC. All the phage-resistant bacterial mutants showed a deleted first transmembrane domain of the flagellum synthesis protein FlhA.

SUBMITTER: Yuan Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6410104 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature