title: Characterization of Mycobacterium smegmatis gene that confers resistance to phages L5 and D29 when overexpressed.
abstract: Bacteriophage infection requires a specific interaction with the outer surface of a bacterial host followed by interaction with the cell membrane and phage DNA injection. Phages of the mycobacteria encounter a cell wall that is rich in unusual lipid- and sugar-containing components which form a formidable barrier that must be passed to gain access to the membrane. We describe here a gene of Mycobacterium smegmatis that confers resistance to mycobacteriophages L5 and D29. The phage-resistance phenotype results not from mutation but from elevated expression of a wild-type gene. It appears that the product of this multicopy phage-resistance (mpr) gene may alter the structure of the host cell wall or membrane, thereby inhibiting productive phage DNA injection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, USA.
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Barsom
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Hatfull
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000821:virology; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000821:virology; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009160:Mycobacteriophages / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology*; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D014162:Transfection; D014170:Transformation, Genetic
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D008156:Luciferases