bacteriophages
Food MicrobiologyNovel Genus of Phages Infecting Streptococcus thermophilus: Genomic and Morphological CharacterizationDespite decades of research and adapted antiphage strategies such as CRISPR-Cas systems, virulent phages are still a persistent risk for the milk fermentation industry worldwide, as they can cause manufacturing failures and alter product quality. Phages P738 and D4446 are novel virulent phages that infect the food-grade Gram-positive bacterial species Streptococcus...
Food MicrobiologyEvolution of Listeria monocytogenes in a Food Processing Plant Involves Limited Single-Nucleotide Substitutions but Considerable Diversification by Gain and Loss of ProphagesKnowledge about the genetic evolution of L. monocytogenes in food processing facilities over multiple years is generally lacking. This information is critical to interpret WGS findings involving food or food-associated isolates. This study suggests that L. monocytogenes that persists in processing...
Microbial Ecology | SpotlightProphages in Lactobacillus reuteri Are Associated with Fitness Trade-Offs but Can Increase Competitiveness in the Gut EcosystemBacteriophages derived from lysogens are abundant in gut microbiomes. Currently, mechanistic knowledge is lacking on the ecological ramifications of prophage carriage yet is essential to explain the abundance of lysogens in the gut. An extensive screen of the bacterial gut symbiont Lactobacillus reuteri revealed that biologically active prophages are widely...
MethodsLysogeny in the Lactic Acid Bacterium Oenococcus oeni Is Responsible for Modified Colony Morphology on Red Grape Juice AgarThe presence of white and red colonies on red grape juice (RGJ) agar during enumeration of Oenococcus oeni in wine samples is frequently observed by stakeholders in the wine industry. Our study brings an explanation for this intriguing phenomenon and establishes a link between the white-red color switch and the lysogenic state of...
BiotechnologyGeneration of a Prophage-Free Variant of the Fast-Growing Bacterium Vibrio natriegensThe fast-growing marine bacterium Vibrio natriegens represents an emerging model host for molecular biology and biotechnology, featuring a reported doubling time of less than 10 minutes. In many bacterial species, viral DNA (prophage elements) may constitute a considerable fraction of the whole genome and may have detrimental effects on the growth and fitness of...
Genetics and Molecular Biology | SpotlightLysPBC2, a Novel Endolysin Harboring a Bacillus cereus Spore Binding DomainBacteriophages produce highly evolved lytic enzymes, called endolysins, to lyse peptidoglycan and release their progeny from bacterial cells. Due to their potent lytic activity and specificity, the use of endolysins has gained increasing attention as a natural alternative to antibiotics. Since most endolysins from Gram-positive-bacterium-infecting phages have a modular structure, understanding the function of each domain is crucial to...
Evolutionary and Genomic Microbiology | SpotlightTranscriptome and Comparative Genomics Analyses Reveal New Functional Insights on Key Determinants of Pathogenesis and Interbacterial Competition in Pectobacterium and Dickeya spp.Despite the considerable loss inflicted on important crops yearly by Pectobacterium and Dickeya diseases, investigations on key virulence and interbacterial competition assets relying on extensive comparative genomics are still surprisingly lacking for these genera. Such approaches become more powerful over time, underpinned by the growing amount of genomic information in public databases. In particular, our findings...
Food MicrobiologyCell Wall Glycans Mediate Recognition of the Dairy Bacterium Streptococcus thermophilus by BacteriophagesStreptococcus thermophilus is widely used in starter cultures for cheese and yoghurt production. During dairy fermentations, infections of bacteria with bacteriophages result in acidification failures and a lower quality of the final products. An understanding of the molecular factors involved in phage-host interactions, in particular, the phage receptors in dairy...