Affiliation:
1. Department of Life Science and Technology, School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Thanks to their wide host range and virulence, staphylococcal bacteriophages (phages) belonging to the genus
Twortlikevirus
(staphylococcal Twort-like phages) are regarded as ideal candidates for clinical application for
Staphylococcus aureus
infections due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria of this species. To increase the usability of these phages, it is necessary to understand the mechanism underlying host recognition, especially the receptor-binding proteins (RBPs) that determine host range. In this study, we found that the staphylococcal Twort-like phage ΦSA012 possesses at least two RBPs. Genomic analysis of five mutant phages of ΦSA012 revealed point mutations in
orf103
, in a region unique to staphylococcal Twort-like phages. Phages harboring mutated ORF103 could not infect
S. aureus
strains in which wall teichoic acids (WTAs) are glycosylated with α-
N
-acetylglucosamine (α-GlcNAc). A polyclonal antibody against ORF103 also inhibited infection by ΦSA012 in the presence of α-GlcNAc, suggesting that ORF103 binds to α-GlcNAc. In contrast, a polyclonal antibody against ORF105, a short tail fiber component previously shown to be an RBP, inhibited phage infection irrespective of the presence of α-GlcNAc. Immunoelectron microscopy indicated that ORF103 is a tail fiber component localized at the bottom of the baseplate. From these results, we conclude that ORF103 binds α-GlcNAc in WTAs, whereas ORF105, the primary RBP, is likely to bind the WTA backbone. These findings provide insight into the infection mechanism of staphylococcal Twort-like phages.
IMPORTANCE
Staphylococcus
phages belonging to the genus
Twortlikevirus
(called staphylococcal Twort-like phages) are considered promising agents for control of
Staphylococcus aureus
due to their wide host range and highly lytic capabilities. Although staphylococcal Twort-like phages have been studied widely for therapeutic purposes, the host recognition process of staphylococcal Twort-like phages remains unclear. This work provides new findings about the mechanisms of host recognition of the staphylococcal Twort-like phage ΦSA012. The details of the host recognition mechanism of ΦSA012 will allow us to analyze the mechanisms of infection and expand the utility of staphylococcal Twort-like phages for the control of
S. aureus
.
Funder
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Ecology,Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology,Food Science,Biotechnology
Cited by
67 articles.
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