Project description:The DNA content of bacteriophages from Bartonella grahamii was investigated by hybridization against cellular DNA from the same organism. Phage particles were isolated from plate grown bacteria as well as from different growth phases during culture in liquid medium.
Project description:Temperate bacteriophages play a pivotal role in the biology of their bacterial host. Of particular interest are bacteriophages infecting enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) due to their significant contribution in the pathogenicity of these pathogens, most notably by encoding the key virulence factor of this pathogen, the Shiga toxin. To better understand the role of EHEC phages on the functionality of its host, we isolated eight temperate phages from clinical EHEC isolates and characterized their genomic composition, morphology and receptor targeting. Morphological analysis identified one long-tailed member from the Siphoviridae family, targeting the OmpC receptor for host recognition, while the other seven phages are short-tailed (Podoviridae) and target the essential BamA protein. Genomic characterization revealed significant variation between the long- and short-tailed phages. Five of the eight isolated phages encode the potent Shiga toxin. Comparative analysis displays the typical lambdoid mosaicism, indicative of horizontal gene transfer driving evolution. These findings provide insights into the genetic and morphologic diversity and receptor specificity of EHEC phages, highlighting their role in evolution and pathogenicity of clinical EHEC strains
Project description:By searching for new drugs against fungal pathogens, we found that miltefosine is active against Aspergillus fumigatus clinical isolates. A library of transcription factors (TF) null mutants was then challenged with this drug and we discovered a novel TF that confers resistance to miltefonise, named here SmiA. By using ChIP-seq, we searched for SmiA targets upon miltefosine treatment.
2021-08-23 | GSE178664 | GEO
Project description:Genome of bacteriophages against Salmonella enterica
| PRJNA758833 | ENA
Project description:Genome of bacteriophages against Dickeya chrysanthemi
Project description:In the face of escalating challenges posed by infections with multiple drug-resistant (MDR) pathogens, the use of bacteriophages in therapeutic applications has emerged as a critically relevant and often sole alternative to traditional antibiotics. The most promising results of phage therapy have been demonstrated in the case of Staphylococcus aureus. It should be noted that the S. aureus population is characterized by a high degree of clonality. Strains belonging to sequence type 239 are among the main epidemic strains of methicillin-resistant S. aureus, identified worldwide. Many ST239 strains are characterized by MDR and resistance to virulent bacteriophages, and can become a serious problem in medicine. The purpose of this study was to investigate the resistance of clinical strains of S. aureus SA191REV of ST239 to bacteriophages of the Herelleviridae family using systems biology methods, starting from microbiological data on the interaction of strains with bacteriophages to transcriptomic and proteomic analysis. As results, the main changes in the cells of the resistant strain caused by phage infection are related to the energy metabolism in the cell. Significant changes were found in the functioning of the tricarboxylic acid cycle, glycolytic process, and glucose metabolic process. The most likely mechanism of resistance in the case of SA191REV strains is the premature death of infected cells due to the type I toxin-antitoxin system, as well as the hyperexpression of the lrgA and lrgB genes.
