Understanding Bacteriophage Tail Fiber Interaction with Host Surface Receptor: The Key “Blueprint” for Reprogramming Phage Host Range
Bacteriophages (phages), as natural antibacterial agents, are being rediscovered because of the growing threat of multi- and pan-drug-resistant bacterial pathogens globally. However, with an estimated 10<sup>31</sup> phages on the planet, finding the right phage to recognize a specific b...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/20/12146 |
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| author | Jarin Taslem Mourosi Ayobami Awe Wenzheng Guo Himanshu Batra Harrish Ganesh Xiaorong Wu Jingen Zhu |
| author_facet | Jarin Taslem Mourosi Ayobami Awe Wenzheng Guo Himanshu Batra Harrish Ganesh Xiaorong Wu Jingen Zhu |
| author_sort | Jarin Taslem Mourosi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Bacteriophages (phages), as natural antibacterial agents, are being rediscovered because of the growing threat of multi- and pan-drug-resistant bacterial pathogens globally. However, with an estimated 10<sup>31</sup> phages on the planet, finding the right phage to recognize a specific bacterial host is like looking for a needle in a trillion haystacks. The host range of a phage is primarily determined by phage tail fibers (or spikes), which initially mediate reversible and specific recognition and adsorption by susceptible bacteria. Recent significant advances at single-molecule and atomic levels have begun to unravel the structural organization of tail fibers and underlying mechanisms of phage–host interactions. Here, we discuss the molecular mechanisms and models of the tail fibers of the well-characterized T4 phage’s interaction with host surface receptors. Structure–function knowledge of tail fibers will pave the way for reprogramming phage host range and will bring future benefits through more-effective phage therapy in medicine. Furthermore, the design strategies of tail fiber engineering are briefly summarized, including machine-learning-assisted engineering inspired by the increasingly enormous amount of phage genetic information. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:37:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-842dbde8657c43f4bb2abf306fd05a0f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T03:37:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-842dbde8657c43f4bb2abf306fd05a0f2023-12-03T14:46:29ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672022-10-0123201214610.3390/ijms232012146Understanding Bacteriophage Tail Fiber Interaction with Host Surface Receptor: The Key “Blueprint” for Reprogramming Phage Host RangeJarin Taslem Mourosi0Ayobami Awe1Wenzheng Guo2Himanshu Batra3Harrish Ganesh4Xiaorong Wu5Jingen Zhu6Bacteriophage Medical Research Center, Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USABacteriophage Medical Research Center, Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USABacteriophage Medical Research Center, Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USAProgram in Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USAVCU Life Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284, USABacteriophage Medical Research Center, Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USABacteriophage Medical Research Center, Department of Biology, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USABacteriophages (phages), as natural antibacterial agents, are being rediscovered because of the growing threat of multi- and pan-drug-resistant bacterial pathogens globally. However, with an estimated 10<sup>31</sup> phages on the planet, finding the right phage to recognize a specific bacterial host is like looking for a needle in a trillion haystacks. The host range of a phage is primarily determined by phage tail fibers (or spikes), which initially mediate reversible and specific recognition and adsorption by susceptible bacteria. Recent significant advances at single-molecule and atomic levels have begun to unravel the structural organization of tail fibers and underlying mechanisms of phage–host interactions. Here, we discuss the molecular mechanisms and models of the tail fibers of the well-characterized T4 phage’s interaction with host surface receptors. Structure–function knowledge of tail fibers will pave the way for reprogramming phage host range and will bring future benefits through more-effective phage therapy in medicine. Furthermore, the design strategies of tail fiber engineering are briefly summarized, including machine-learning-assisted engineering inspired by the increasingly enormous amount of phage genetic information.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/20/12146bacteriophage (phage)T4 phagetail fibertail fiber structuretail fiber engineeringphage–host interaction |
| spellingShingle | Jarin Taslem Mourosi Ayobami Awe Wenzheng Guo Himanshu Batra Harrish Ganesh Xiaorong Wu Jingen Zhu Understanding Bacteriophage Tail Fiber Interaction with Host Surface Receptor: The Key “Blueprint” for Reprogramming Phage Host Range International Journal of Molecular Sciences bacteriophage (phage) T4 phage tail fiber tail fiber structure tail fiber engineering phage–host interaction |
| title | Understanding Bacteriophage Tail Fiber Interaction with Host Surface Receptor: The Key “Blueprint” for Reprogramming Phage Host Range |
| title_full | Understanding Bacteriophage Tail Fiber Interaction with Host Surface Receptor: The Key “Blueprint” for Reprogramming Phage Host Range |
| title_fullStr | Understanding Bacteriophage Tail Fiber Interaction with Host Surface Receptor: The Key “Blueprint” for Reprogramming Phage Host Range |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding Bacteriophage Tail Fiber Interaction with Host Surface Receptor: The Key “Blueprint” for Reprogramming Phage Host Range |
| title_short | Understanding Bacteriophage Tail Fiber Interaction with Host Surface Receptor: The Key “Blueprint” for Reprogramming Phage Host Range |
| title_sort | understanding bacteriophage tail fiber interaction with host surface receptor the key blueprint for reprogramming phage host range |
| topic | bacteriophage (phage) T4 phage tail fiber tail fiber structure tail fiber engineering phage–host interaction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/20/12146 |
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