Secor Patrick R, Jennings Laura K, Michaels Lia A, Sweere Johanna M, Singh Pradeep K, Parks William C, Bollyky Paul L
Department of Microbiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Microb Cell. 2015 Dec 31;3(1):49-52. doi: 10.15698/mic2016.01.475.
is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen associated with many types of chronic infection. At sites of chronic infection, such as the airways of people with cystic fibrosis (CF), forms biofilm-like aggregates. These are clusters of bacterial cells encased in a polymer-rich matrix that shields bacteria from environmental stresses and antibiotic treatment. When forms a biofilm, large amounts of filamentous Pf bacteriophage (phage) are produced. Unlike most phage that typically lyse and kill their bacterial hosts, filamentous phage of the genus Inovirus, which includes Pf phage, often do not, and instead are continuously extruded from the bacteria. Here, we discuss the implications of the accumulation of filamentous Pf phage in the biofilm matrix, where they interact with matrix polymers to organize the biofilm into a highly ordered liquid crystal. This structural configuration promotes bacterial adhesion, desiccation survival, and antibiotic tolerance - all features typically associated with biofilms. We propose that Pf phage make structural contributions to biofilms and that this constitutes a novel form of symbiosis between bacteria and bacteriophage.
是一种与多种慢性感染相关的机会性细菌病原体。在慢性感染部位，如囊性纤维化（CF）患者的气道中，会形成生物膜样聚集体。这些是包裹在富含聚合物的基质中的细菌细胞簇，该基质可保护细菌免受环境压力和抗生素治疗的影响。当形成生物膜时，会产生大量丝状Pf噬菌体（噬菌体）。与大多数通常裂解并杀死其细菌宿主的噬菌体不同，包括Pf噬菌体在内的丝状噬菌体属丝状噬菌体通常不会，而是不断从细菌中挤出。在这里，我们讨论了丝状Pf噬菌体在生物膜基质中积累的影响，在那里它们与基质聚合物相互作用，将生物膜组织成高度有序的液晶。这种结构配置促进细菌粘附性、干燥生存能力和抗生素耐受性——所有这些特征通常都与生物膜有关。我们提出Pf噬菌体对生物膜做出结构贡献，这构成了细菌与噬菌体之间一种新的共生形式。
