Maggi Ricardo G, Breitschwerdt Edward B
Vector-Borne Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory, Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA.
J Mol Microbiol Biotechnol. 2005;9(1):44-51. doi: 10.1159/000088145.
Bacteriophages enhance bacterial survival, facilitate bacterial adaptation to new environmental conditions, assist in the adaptation to a new host species, and enhance bacterial evasion or inactivation of host defense mechanisms. We describe the detection and purification of a novel tailed bacteriophage from Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, which was previously described as a bacteriophage-negative species. We also compare B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffi Pap31 bacteriophage gene sequences to B. henselae (Houston I), and B. quintana (Fuller) bacteriophage Pap31 sequences. Negative staining electron microscopy of log phase culturesof B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii identified bacteriophages, possessing a 50-nm icosahedric head diameter and a 60- to 80-nm contractile tail. Sequence analysis of the bacteriophage Pap31 gene from B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii showed three consensus sequences and a 12-bp insertion when compared with Pap31 gene sequences from B. henselae (Houston I) and B. quintana (Fuller) bacteriophages. Isolation of B. vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii bacteriophages containing a Pap31 gene suggests that this heme-binding protein gene might play an important role in bacterial virulence through the genetic exchange of DNA within this subspecies. Defining phage-associated genes may also contribute to the enhanced understanding of the evolutionary relationships among members of the genus Bartonella.
噬菌体可提高细菌的存活率，促进细菌适应新的环境条件，协助其适应新的宿主物种，并增强细菌逃避或灭活宿主防御机制的能力。我们描述了从文森巴尔通体伯克霍夫亚种中检测和纯化一种新型有尾噬菌体的过程，该亚种此前被认为是无噬菌体的物种。我们还将文森巴尔通体伯克霍夫亚种Pap31噬菌体的基因序列与亨氏巴尔通体（休斯顿I株）和五日热巴尔通体（富勒株）的噬菌体Pap31序列进行了比较。对文森巴尔通体伯克霍夫亚种对数期培养物进行负染色电子显微镜观察，鉴定出了噬菌体，其头部直径为50纳米，呈二十面体，尾部收缩，长度为60至80纳米。与亨氏巴尔通体（休斯顿I株）和五日热巴尔通体（富勒株）噬菌体的Pap31基因序列相比，文森巴尔通体伯克霍夫亚种噬菌体Pap31基因的序列分析显示有三个共有序列和一个12碱基对的插入。含有Pap31基因的文森巴尔通体伯克霍夫亚种噬菌体的分离表明，这种血红素结合蛋白基因可能通过该亚种内DNA的基因交换在细菌毒力中发挥重要作用。确定与噬菌体相关的基因也可能有助于加深对巴尔通体属成员之间进化关系的理解。
