title: Mapping the tail fiber as the receptor binding protein responsible for differential host specificity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteriophages PaP1 and JG004.
abstract: The first step in bacteriophage infection is recognition and binding to the host receptor, which is mediated by the phage receptor binding protein (RBP). Different RBPs can lead to differential host specificity. In many bacteriophages, such as Escherichia coli and Lactococcal phages, RBPs have been identified as the tail fiber or protruding baseplate proteins. However, the tail fiber-dependent host specificity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa phages has not been well studied. This study aimed to identify and investigate the binding specificity of the RBP of P. aeruginosa phages PaP1 and JG004. These two phages share high DNA sequence homology but exhibit different host specificities. A spontaneous mutant phage was isolated and exhibited broader host range compared with the parental phage JG004. Sequencing of its putative tail fiber and baseplate region indicated a single point mutation in ORF84 (a putative tail fiber gene), which resulted in the replacement of a positively charged lysine (K) by an uncharged asparagine (N). We further demonstrated that the replacement of the tail fiber gene (ORF69) of PaP1 with the corresponding gene from phage JG004 resulted in a recombinant phage that displayed altered host specificity. Our study revealed the tail fiber-dependent host specificity in P. aeruginosa phages and provided an effective tool for its alteration. These contributions may have potential value in phage therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Le
authors.forename: Xuesong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Yinling
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Guangtao
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lux
authors.forename: Wenyuan
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Fuquan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D023061:Gene Order; D056426:Genetic Loci; D016679:Genome, Viral; D058507:Host Specificity; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D000073718:Pancreatitis-Associated Proteins; D011485:Protein Binding; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000821:virology*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017376:Viral Tail Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D000073718:Pancreatitis-Associated Proteins; C000612141:REG3A protein, human; D017376:Viral Tail Proteins