Enterococcal quorum-controlled protease alters phage infection.

Increased prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections has sparked interest in alternative antimicrobials, including bacteriophages (phages). Limited understanding of the phage infection process hampers our ability to utilize phages to their full therapeutic potential. To understand phage infection dynamics, we performed proteomics on infected with the phage VPE25.

Enterococcal quorum-controlled protease alters phage infection.

Increased prevalence of multidrug resistant bacterial infections has sparked interest in alternative antimicrobials, including bacteriophages (phages). Limited understanding of the phage infection process hampers our ability to utilize phages to their full therapeutic potential. To understand phage infection dynamics we performed proteomics on infected with the phage VPE25.

Complete genome sequence of enterococcal phage G01.

Here, we report the annotated genome of enterococcal phage G01. The G01 genome is 41,189 bp in length and contains 67 predicted open reading frames. Host range analysis revealed G01 can infect 28.

Let Me Upgrade You: Impact of Mobile Genetic Elements on Enterococcal Adaptation and Evolution.

Enterococci are Gram-positive bacteria that have evolved to thrive as both commensals and pathogens, largely due to their accumulation of mobile genetic elements via horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Common agents of HGT include plasmids, transposable elements, and temperate bacteriophages. These vehicles of HGT have facilitated the evolution of the enterococci, specifically Enterococcus faecalis and Enterococcus faecium, into multidrug-resistant hospital-acquired pathogens.

Integrating Viral Metagenomics into an Ecological Framework.

Viral metagenomics has expanded our knowledge of the ecology of uncultured viruses, within both environmental (e.g., terrestrial and aquatic) and host-associated (e.

Individuals at risk for rheumatoid arthritis harbor differential intestinal bacteriophage communities with distinct metabolic potential.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized in seropositive individuals by the presence of anti-cyclic citrullinated protein (CCP) antibodies. RA is linked to the intestinal microbiota, yet the association of microbes with CCP serology and their contribution to RA is unclear. We describe intestinal phage communities of individuals at risk for developing RA, with or without anti-CCP antibodies, whose first-degree relatives have been diagnosed with RA.

Lytic bacteriophages facilitate antibiotic sensitization of .

, a commensal of the human intestine, has emerged as a hospital-adapted, multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogen. Bacteriophages (phages), natural predators of bacteria, have regained attention as therapeutics to stem the rise of MDR bacteria. Despite their potential to curtail MDR infections, the molecular events governing -phage interactions remain largely unknown.

Recent Advances in miRNA Delivery Systems.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a family of short non-coding regulatory RNA molecules that are produced in a tissue and time-specific manner to orchestrate gene expression post-transcription. MiRNAs hybridize to target mRNA(s) to induce translation repression or mRNA degradation. Functional studies have demonstrated that miRNAs are engaged in virtually every physiological process and, consequently, miRNA dysregulations have been linked to multiple human pathologies.

Complete Genome Sequence of Neonatal Clinical Group B Streptococcal Isolate CJB111.

Group B (GBS) is an asymptomatic colonizer of the female reproductive tract but can cause maternal and neonatal infections and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Here, we closed the genome sequence of strain CJB111, a neonatal GBS clinical isolate from a case of late-onset bacteremia without focus (Houston, TX; 1990).

Phage infection and sub-lethal antibiotic exposure mediate Enterococcus faecalis type VII secretion system dependent inhibition of bystander bacteria.

Bacteriophages (phages) are being considered as alternative therapeutics for the treatment of multidrug resistant bacterial infections. Considering phages have narrow host-ranges, it is generally accepted that therapeutic phages will have a marginal impact on non-target bacteria. We have discovered that lytic phage infection induces transcription of type VIIb secretion system (T7SS) genes in the pathobiont Enterococcus faecalis.

Genome-Wide Mutagenesis Identifies Factors Involved in Enterococcus faecalis Vaginal Adherence and Persistence.

is a Gram-positive commensal bacterium native to the gastrointestinal tract and an opportunistic pathogen of increasing clinical concern. also colonizes the female reproductive tract, and reports suggest vaginal colonization increases following antibiotic treatment or in patients with aerobic vaginitis. Currently, little is known about specific factors that promote vaginal colonization and subsequent infection.

Parallel Genomics Uncover Novel Enterococcal-Bacteriophage Interactions.

Bacteriophages (phages) have been proposed as alternative therapeutics for the treatment of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections. However, there are major gaps in our understanding of the molecular events in bacterial cells that control how bacteria respond to phage predation. Using the model organism , we used two distinct genomic approaches, namely, transposon library screening and RNA sequencing, to investigate the interaction of with a virulent phage.

Enterococcus faecalis CRISPR-Cas Is a Robust Barrier to Conjugative Antibiotic Resistance Dissemination in the Murine Intestine.

CRISPR-Cas systems are barriers to horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in bacteria. Little is known about CRISPR-Cas interactions with conjugative plasmids, and studies investigating CRISPR-Cas/plasmid interactions in models relevant to infectious disease are lacking. These are significant gaps in knowledge because conjugative plasmids disseminate antibiotic resistance genes among pathogens , and it is essential to identify strategies to reduce the spread of these elements.

Bacteriophage Resistance Alters Antibiotic-Mediated Intestinal Expansion of Enterococci.

is a human intestinal pathobiont with intrinsic and acquired resistance to many antibiotics, including vancomycin. Nature provides a diverse and virtually untapped repertoire of bacterial viruses, or bacteriophages (phages), that could be harnessed to combat multidrug-resistant enterococcal infections. Bacterial phage resistance represents a potential barrier to the implementation of phage therapy, emphasizing the importance of investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying the emergence of phage resistance.

Sugar and Fatty Acids Ack-celerate Prophage Induction.

Intestinal cues driving prophage induction in the microbiota are largely unknown. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Oh et al. (2018) reveal that dietary fructose- and microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids promote AckA-mediated acetic acid biosynthesis, triggering a stress response that facilities phage production.

Beyond Bacteria: Bacteriophage-Eukaryotic Host Interactions Reveal Emerging Paradigms of Health and Disease.

For decades, a wealth of information has been acquired to define how host associated microbial communities contribute to health and disease. Within the human microbiota this has largely focused on bacteria, yet there is a myriad of viruses that occupy various tissue sites, the most abundant being bacteriophages that infect bacteria. Animal hosts are colonized with niche specific microbial communities where bacteria are continuously co-evolving with phages.

Rapid evolution of a bacterial iron acquisition system.

Under iron limitation, bacteria scavenge ferric (Fe ) iron bound to siderophores or other chelates from the environment to fulfill their nutritional requirement. In gram-negative bacteria, the siderophore uptake system prototype consists of an outer membrane transporter, a periplasmic binding protein and a cytoplasmic membrane transporter, each specific for a single ferric siderophore or siderophore family. Here, we show that spontaneous single gain-of-function missense mutations in outer membrane transporter genes of Bradyrhizobium japonicum were sufficient to confer on cells the ability to use synthetic or natural iron siderophores, suggesting that selectivity is limited primarily to the outer membrane and can be readily modified.