title: Viral Transmission Dynamics at Single-Cell Resolution Reveal Transiently Immune Subpopulations Caused by a Carrier State Association.
abstract: Monitoring the complex transmission dynamics of a bacterial virus (temperate phage P22) throughout a population of its host (Salmonella Typhimurium) at single cell resolution revealed the unexpected existence of a transiently immune subpopulation of host cells that emerged from peculiarities preceding the process of lysogenization. More specifically, an infection event ultimately leading to a lysogen first yielded a phage carrier cell harboring a polarly tethered P22 episome. Upon subsequent division, the daughter cell inheriting this episome became lysogenized by an integration event yielding a prophage, while the other daughter cell became P22-free. However, since the phage carrier cell was shown to overproduce immunity factors that are cytoplasmically inherited by the P22-free daughter cell and further passed down to its siblings, a transiently resistant subpopulation was generated that upon dilution of these immunity factors again became susceptible to P22 infection. The iterative emergence and infection of transiently resistant subpopulations suggests a new bet-hedging strategy by which viruses could manage to sustain both vertical and horizontal transmission routes throughout an infected population without compromising a stable co-existence with their host.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M²S), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cenens
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M²S), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Makumi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M²S), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sander K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Govers
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Gene Technology, Department of Biosystems, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lavigne
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Food Microbiology, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M²S), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Abram
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aertsen
mesh_terms: D017100:Bacteriophage P22 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002875:Chromosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000276:immunology; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C093809:sieA protein, Enterobacteria phage P22