Anti-phage defence through inhibition of virion assembly
Abstract Bacteria have evolved diverse antiviral defence mechanisms to protect themselves against phage infection. Phages integrated into bacterial chromosomes, known as prophages, also encode defences that protect the bacterial hosts in which they reside. Here, we identify a type of anti-phage defe...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45892-x |
| _version_ | 1797273962716069888 |
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| author | Pramalkumar H. Patel Véronique L. Taylor Chi Zhang Landon J. Getz Alexa D. Fitzpatrick Alan R. Davidson Karen L. Maxwell |
| author_facet | Pramalkumar H. Patel Véronique L. Taylor Chi Zhang Landon J. Getz Alexa D. Fitzpatrick Alan R. Davidson Karen L. Maxwell |
| author_sort | Pramalkumar H. Patel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Bacteria have evolved diverse antiviral defence mechanisms to protect themselves against phage infection. Phages integrated into bacterial chromosomes, known as prophages, also encode defences that protect the bacterial hosts in which they reside. Here, we identify a type of anti-phage defence that interferes with the virion assembly pathway of invading phages. The protein that mediates this defence, which we call Tab (for ‘Tail assembly blocker’), is constitutively expressed from a Pseudomonas aeruginosa prophage. Tab allows the invading phage replication cycle to proceed, but blocks assembly of the phage tail, thus preventing formation of infectious virions. While the infected cell dies through the activity of the replicating phage lysis proteins, there is no release of infectious phage progeny, and the bacterial community is thereby protected from a phage epidemic. Prophages expressing Tab are not inhibited during their own lytic cycle because they express a counter-defence protein that interferes with Tab function. Thus, our work reveals an anti-phage defence that operates by blocking virion assembly, thereby both preventing formation of phage progeny and allowing destruction of the infected cell due to expression of phage lysis genes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:51:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-84ad2c1f46584ba3806344efd5a86bdd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:51:41Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-84ad2c1f46584ba3806344efd5a86bdd2024-03-05T19:40:10ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232024-02-0115111110.1038/s41467-024-45892-xAnti-phage defence through inhibition of virion assemblyPramalkumar H. Patel0Véronique L. Taylor1Chi Zhang2Landon J. Getz3Alexa D. Fitzpatrick4Alan R. Davidson5Karen L. Maxwell6Department of Biochemistry, University of TorontoDepartment of Biochemistry, University of TorontoDepartment of Molecular Genetics, University of TorontoDepartment of Biochemistry, University of TorontoDepartment of Biochemistry, University of TorontoDepartment of Biochemistry, University of TorontoDepartment of Biochemistry, University of TorontoAbstract Bacteria have evolved diverse antiviral defence mechanisms to protect themselves against phage infection. Phages integrated into bacterial chromosomes, known as prophages, also encode defences that protect the bacterial hosts in which they reside. Here, we identify a type of anti-phage defence that interferes with the virion assembly pathway of invading phages. The protein that mediates this defence, which we call Tab (for ‘Tail assembly blocker’), is constitutively expressed from a Pseudomonas aeruginosa prophage. Tab allows the invading phage replication cycle to proceed, but blocks assembly of the phage tail, thus preventing formation of infectious virions. While the infected cell dies through the activity of the replicating phage lysis proteins, there is no release of infectious phage progeny, and the bacterial community is thereby protected from a phage epidemic. Prophages expressing Tab are not inhibited during their own lytic cycle because they express a counter-defence protein that interferes with Tab function. Thus, our work reveals an anti-phage defence that operates by blocking virion assembly, thereby both preventing formation of phage progeny and allowing destruction of the infected cell due to expression of phage lysis genes.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45892-x |
| spellingShingle | Pramalkumar H. Patel Véronique L. Taylor Chi Zhang Landon J. Getz Alexa D. Fitzpatrick Alan R. Davidson Karen L. Maxwell Anti-phage defence through inhibition of virion assembly Nature Communications |
| title | Anti-phage defence through inhibition of virion assembly |
| title_full | Anti-phage defence through inhibition of virion assembly |
| title_fullStr | Anti-phage defence through inhibition of virion assembly |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anti-phage defence through inhibition of virion assembly |
| title_short | Anti-phage defence through inhibition of virion assembly |
| title_sort | anti phage defence through inhibition of virion assembly |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45892-x |
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