Phages on filaments: A genetic screen elucidates the complex interactions between Salmonella enterica flagellin and bacteriophage Chi

dc.contributor.authorEsteves, Nathaniel C.en
dc.contributor.authorBigham, Danielle N.en
dc.contributor.authorScharf, Birgit E.en
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-01T14:01:28Zen
dc.date.available2024-02-01T14:01:28Zen
dc.date.issued2023-08-03en
dc.description.abstractThe bacterial flagellum is a rotary motor organelle and important virulence factor that propels motile pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella enterica, through their surroundings. Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that solely infect bacteria. As such, phages have myriad applications in the healthcare field, including phage therapy against antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens. Bacteriophage χ (Chi) is a flagellum-dependent (flagellotropic) bacteriophage, which begins its infection cycle by attaching its long tail fiber to the S. enterica flagellar filament as its primary receptor. The interactions between phage and flagellum are poorly understood, as are the reasons that χ only kills certain Salmonella serotypes while others entirely evade phage infection. In this study, we used molecular cloning, targeted mutagenesis, heterologous flagellin expression, and phage-host interaction assays to determine which domains within the flagellar filament protein flagellin mediate this complex interaction. We identified the antigenic N- and C-terminal D2 domains as essential for phage χ binding, with the hypervariable central D3 domain playing a less crucial role. Here, we report that the primary structure of the Salmonella flagellin D2 domains is the major determinant of χ adhesion. The phage susceptibility of a strain is directly tied to these domains. We additionally uncovered important information about flagellar function. The central and most variable domain, D3, is not required for motility in S. Typhimurium 14028s, as it can be deleted or its sequence composition can be significantly altered with minimal impacts on motility. Further knowledge about the complex interactions between flagellotropic phage χ and its primary bacterial receptor may allow genetic engineering of its host range for use as targeted antimicrobial therapy against motile pathogens of the χ-host genera Salmonella, Escherichia, or Serratia.en
dc.description.versionPublished versionen
dc.format.extent24 page(s)en
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifierARTN e1011537 (Article number)en
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1011537en
dc.identifier.eissn1553-7374en
dc.identifier.issn1553-7366en
dc.identifier.issue8en
dc.identifier.orcidScharf, Birgit [0000-0001-6271-8972]en
dc.identifier.otherPPATHOGENS-D-23-00651 (PII)en
dc.identifier.pmid37535496en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10919/117778en
dc.identifier.volume19en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherPublic Library of Scienceen
dc.relation.urihttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37535496en
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subject.meshSalmonellaen
dc.subject.meshSalmonella entericaen
dc.subject.meshSerratiaen
dc.subject.meshBacteriophagesen
dc.subject.meshFlagellinen
dc.titlePhages on filaments: A genetic screen elucidates the complex interactions between <i>Salmonella enterica</i> flagellin and bacteriophage Chien
dc.title.serialPLOS Pathogensen
dc.typeArticle - Refereeden
dc.type.dcmitypeTexten
dc.type.otherArticleen
dc.type.otherJournalen
dcterms.dateAccepted2023-07-04en
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Techen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Scienceen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Science/Biological Sciencesen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Faculty of Health Sciencesen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/All T&R Facultyen
pubs.organisational-group/Virginia Tech/Science/COS T&R Facultyen

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