Snopková Kateřina, Chaloupková Eva, Hrala Matěj, Šmajs David
Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic; Institute for Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University and St. Anne's University Hospital Brno, Pekařská 664/53, 656 91, Brno, Czech Republic.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
Res Microbiol. 2025 Jan-Feb;176(1-2):104261. doi: 10.1016/j.resmic.2024.104261. Epub 2024 Nov 23.
Tailocins are nano-scale phage tail-like protein complexes that can mediate antagonistic interactions between closely related bacterial species. While the capacity to produce R-type tailocin was found widely across Gammaproteobacteria, the production of F-type tailocins seems comparatively rare. In this study, we examined the freshwater isolate, Pragia fontium 24613, which can produce both R- and F-type tailocins. We investigated their inhibition spectrum, focusing on clinically relevant enterobacteria, and identified the associated tailocin gene cluster. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed that inactivation of the tape measure protein within the tailocin cluster disrupted R-tailocin production. Comparative analysis of Budviciaceae gene clusters showed high conservation of R-type tailocin genes, whereas F-type tailocin genes were found in only a few species, with little conservation. Our findings indicate a high prevalence of bacteriocin production among underexplored Enterobacteriales species. Detected tailocins showed potential as antimicrobials targeting clinically significant pathogens.
尾菌素是纳米级噬菌体尾部样蛋白复合物，可介导密切相关细菌物种之间的拮抗相互作用。虽然发现产生R型尾菌素的能力在γ-变形菌中广泛存在，但F型尾菌素的产生似乎相对较少。在本研究中，我们检测了淡水分离株丰水普拉吉亚菌24613，它可以产生R型和F型尾菌素。我们研究了它们的抑制谱，重点关注临床相关的肠杆菌，并鉴定了相关的尾菌素基因簇。透射电子显微镜证实，尾菌素簇内卷尺蛋白的失活破坏了R型尾菌素的产生。对布德维西亚菌科基因簇的比较分析表明，R型尾菌素基因具有高度保守性，而F型尾菌素基因仅在少数物种中发现，保守性较低。我们的研究结果表明，在未充分研究的肠杆菌目物种中，细菌素的产生非常普遍。检测到的尾菌素显示出作为针对临床重要病原体的抗菌剂的潜力。
