Tailocins are phage tail-like bacteriocins produced by various bacterial species to kill kin competitors. Given that tailocin release is dependent upon cell lysis, regulation of tailocin production at the single-cell and population level remains unclear. Here we used flow cytometry, competition assays and structural characterization of tailocin production in a human bacterial pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes. We revealed that a specialized subpopulation, constituting less than 1% of the total bacterial population, differentiates to produce, assemble and store thousands of tailocin particles. Tailocins are packed in a highly ordered manner, clustered in a liquid crystalline phase that occupies a substantial volume of the cell. Tailocin production confers a competitive growth advantage for the rest of the population. This study provides molecular insights into tailocin production as a form of altruism, showing how cell specialization within bacterial populations can confer competitive advantages at the population level.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41564-024-01793-9 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Characterization of tailocins of Pragia fontium 24613 and the tailocin loci within the family Budviciaceae.
Res Microbiol
November 2024
Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic. Electronic address:
Article Synopsis
- Tailocins are tiny protein complexes that act like phage tails and can inhibit closely related bacterial species, with R-type being common in Gammaproteobacteria and F-type being rare.
- This study focused on a freshwater isolate, Pragia fontium 24613, which produces both R- and F-type tailocins, analyzing their ability to inhibit clinically relevant bacteria and identifying the related gene cluster.
- The results showed that disrupting a specific protein affected R-tailocin production, and a comparison of genes revealed R-type tailocins are widely conserved among certain bacteria, while F-type tailocins show less conservation and presence, highlighting their antimicrobial potential against important pathogens.
BglaTNB6, a tailocin produced by a plant-associated nonpathogenic bacterium, prevents rice seed-borne bacterial diseases.
PLoS Pathog
October 2024
Crop Stress Management Group, Division of Plant Molecular Regulation Research, Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, NARO, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
Rice seed-borne diseases caused by the bacterial pathogens Burkholderia glumae and B. plantarii pose a major threat to rice production worldwide. To manage these diseases in a sustainable manner, a biocontrol strategy is crucial.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpecialized Listeria monocytogenes produce tailocins to provide a population-level competitive growth advantage.
Nat Microbiol
October 2024
The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Tailocins are phage tail-like bacteriocins produced by various bacterial species to kill kin competitors. Given that tailocin release is dependent upon cell lysis, regulation of tailocin production at the single-cell and population level remains unclear. Here we used flow cytometry, competition assays and structural characterization of tailocin production in a human bacterial pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStrategies for developing phages into novel antimicrobial tailocins.
Trends Microbiol
October 2024
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark. Electronic address:
Tailocins are high-molecular-weight bacteriocins produced by bacteria to kill related environmental competitors by binding and puncturing their target. Tailocins are promising alternative antimicrobials, yet the diversity of naturally occurring tailocins is limited. The structural similarities between phage tails and tailocins advocate using phages as scaffolds for developing new tailocins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEngineering of Phages into Novel Antimicrobial Tailocins.
Cells
November 2023
Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
Due to the extensive use of antibiotics, the increase of infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria is now a global health concern. Phages have proven useful for treating bacterial infections and represent a promising alternative or complement to antibiotic treatment. Yet, other alternatives exist, such as bacteria-produced non-replicative protein complexes that can kill their targeted bacteria by puncturing their membrane (Tailocins).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!