Characterization of the Bacteriophage vB_EfaS-271 Infecting Enterococcus faecalis

International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Michał Grabski¹  Bożena Nejman-Faleńczyk¹  Agnieszka Necel¹  Aleksandra Dydecka¹  Gracja Topka-Bielecka¹  Grzegorz Węgrzyn¹  Agata Jurczak-Kurek²  Marcin Górniak²  Sylwia Bloch³  Alicja Węgrzyn³ 

[1] Department of Molecular Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland;Department of Molecular Evolution, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland;Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kładki 24, 80-822 Gdansk, Poland;

关键词: bacteriophage;    Enterococcus faecalis;    genomic analysis;    phage development;    biofilm destruction;    biodiversity of viruses;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijms21176345

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

A newly isolated bacteriophage infecting Enterococcus faecalis strains has been characterized, including determination of its molecular features. This phage, named vB_EfaS-271, has been classified as a Siphoviridae member, according to electron microscopy characterization of the virions, composed of a 50 nm-diameter head and a long, flexible, noncontractable tail (219 × 12.5 nm). Analysis of the whole dsDNA genome of this phage showed that it consists of 40,197 bp and functional modules containing genes coding for proteins that are involved in DNA replication (including DNA polymerase/primase), morphogenesis, packaging and cell lysis. Mass spectrometry analysis allowed us to identify several phage-encoded proteins. vB_EfaS-271 reveals a relatively narrow host range, as it is able to infect only a few E. faecalis strains. On the other hand, it is a virulent phage (unable to lysogenize host cells), effectively and quickly destroying cultures of sensitive host bacteria, with a latent period as short as 8 min and burst size of approximately 70 phages per cell at 37 °C. This phage was also able to destroy biofilms formed by E. faecalis. These results contribute to our understanding of the biodiversity of bacteriophages, confirming the high variability among these viruses and indicating specific genetic and functional features of vB_EfaS-271.

【 授权许可】

Unknown