Capturing dynamic phage-pathogen coevolution by clinical surveillance - PubMed
a day ago
- #phage-pathogen coevolution
- #clinical surveillance
- #Vibrio cholerae
- Bacteria use diverse defense systems against phage predation, often encoded on mobile genetic elements.
- Phages evolve counter-defenses, leading to a dynamic arms race, especially in human disease contexts like Vibrio cholerae infections.
- Higher lytic phage ICP1 levels in patient stool correlate with reduced cholera severity.
- Clinical surveillance in Bangladesh captured the acquisition of an anti-phage mobile genetic element, PLE11, initiating a selective sweep during a major cholera outbreak.
- PLE11 showed potent anti-phage activity against ICP1, explaining its rapid emergence.
- The PLE11-encoded protein Rta restricts phage tail assembly, providing a molecular basis for its anti-phage activity.
- Experimental evolution predicted phage counteradaptations, with clinical ICP1 eventually evolving to overcome PLE11 defenses.
- PLEs balance dependence on ICP1 tail proteins for transmission with Rta's restriction by constructing chimeric tails for efficient spread.
- Findings reveal the molecular basis of natural selection in a globally important pathogen and its phage in a clinical context.