Host Range Expansion of Shigella Phage Sf6 Evolves through Point Mutations in the Tailspike.

ABSTRACT: The first critical step in a virus's infection cycle is attachment to its host. This interaction is precise enough to ensure the virus will be able to productively infect the cell, but some flexibility can be beneficial to enable coevolution and host range switching or expansion. Bacteriophage Sf6 utilizes a two-step process to recognize and attach to its host Shigella flexneri. Sf6 first recognizes the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of S. flexneri and then binds outer membrane protein (Omp) A or OmpC. This phage infects serotype Y strains but can also form small, turbid plaques on serotype 2a₂; turbid plaques appear translucent rather than transparent, indicating greater survival of bacteria. Reduced plating efficiency further suggested inefficient infection. To examine the interacti

SUBMITTER: Subramanian S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9400499 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature