Cell
Volume 168, Issues 1–2, 12 January 2017, Pages 186-199.e12
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Article
Acquisition of Phage Sensitivity by Bacteria through Exchange of Phage Receptors

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2016.12.003Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Phage-resistant (R) bacteria are lysed when co-cultured with sensitive (S) bacteria

  • R cell lysis is triggered by phage lysins released from nearby infected S cells

  • Occasionally, phages can invade R cells only when co-incubated with S cells

  • Such invasion is mediated by R cells gaining phage attachment molecules from S cells

Summary

Bacteriophages (phages) typically exhibit a narrow host range, yet they tremendously impact horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Here, we investigate phage dynamics in communities harboring phage-resistant (R) and sensitive (S) bacteria, a common scenario in nature. Using Bacillus subtilis and its lytic phage SPP1, we demonstrate that R cells, lacking SPP1 receptor, can be lysed by SPP1 when co-cultured with S cells. This unanticipated lysis was triggered in part by phage lytic enzymes released from nearby infected cells. Strikingly, we discovered that occasionally phages can invade R cells, a phenomenon we termed acquisition of sensitivity (ASEN). We found that ASEN is mediated by R cells transiently gaining phage attachment molecules from neighboring S cells and provide evidence that this molecular exchange is driven by membrane vesicles. Exchange of phage attachment molecules could even occur in an interspecies fashion, enabling phage adsorption to non-host species, providing an unexplored route for HGT.

Keywords

Bacillus subtilis
bacteriophages
SPP1
SPO1
Phi29
phage spread
membrane vesicles

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