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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2005, p. 4872-4874, Vol. 71, No. 8
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.8.4872-4874.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

SHORT REPORT

Escherichia coli K1's Capsule Is a Barrier to Bacteriophage T7

Dean Scholl,1* Sankar Adhya,2 and Carl Merril1

Section of Biochemical Genetics, The National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Building 36, Room 3D20, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892,1 Section of Developmental Genetics, The National Cancer Institute, NIH, Building 37, Room 5138C, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 208922

Received 16 December 2004/ Accepted 24 February 2005

Escherichia coli strains that produce the K1 polysaccharide capsule have long been associated with pathogenesis. This capsule is believed to increase the cell's invasiveness, allowing the bacteria to avoid phagocytosis and inactivation by complement. It is also recognized as a receptor by some phages, such as K1F and K1-5, which have virion-associated enzymes that degrade the polysaccharide. In this report we show that expression of the K1 capsule in E. coli physically blocks infection by T7, a phage that recognizes lipopolysaccharide as the primary receptor. Enzymatic removal of the K1 antigen from the cell allows T7 to adsorb and replicate. This observation suggests that the capsule plays an important role as a defense against some phages that recognize structures beneath it and that the K1-specific phages evolved to counter this physical barrier.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: The National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, Building 36, Room 3D20, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892. Phone: (301) 435-3580. Fax: (301) 480-9862. E-mail: dscholl{at}usa.net.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, August 2005, p. 4872-4874, Vol. 71, No. 8
0099-2240/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.71.8.4872-4874.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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