Bacteriophage S6 requires bacterial cellulose for Erwinia amylovora infection

Abstract

Summary Bacteriophages are highly selective in targeting bacteria. This selectivity relies on the specific adsorption of phages to the host cell surface. In this study, a Tn5 transposon mutant library of Erwinia amylovora, the causative agent of fire blight, was screened to identify bacterial receptors required for infection by the podovirus S6. Phage S6 was unable to infect mutants with defects in the bacterial cellulose synthase operon (bcs). The Bcs complex produces and secretes bacterial cellulose, an extracellular polysaccharide associated with bacterial biofilms. Deletion of the bcs operon or associated genes (bcsA, bcsC and bcsZ) verified the crucial role of bacterial cellulose for S6 infection. Application of the cellulose binding dye Congo Red blocked infection by S6. We demonstrate that infective S6 virions degraded cellulose and that Gp95, a phage‐encoded cellulase, is involved to catalyse the reaction. In planta S6 did not significantly inhibit fire blight symptom development. Moreover, deletion of bcs genes in E. amylovora did not affect bacterial virulence in blossom infections, indicating that sole application of cellulose targeting phages is less appropriate to biologically control E. amylovora. The interplay between cellulose synthesis, host cell infection and maintenance of the host cell population is discussed.

In Situ Synthesized Porous Bacterial Cellulose/Poly(vinyl alcohol)‐Based Silk Sericin and Azithromycin Release System for Treating Chronic Wound Biofilm

“…Other studies have also shown that cellulose‐based scaffolds have the aptitude to store phages consistently for extended periods of time, which is necessary for their efficient usage in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. [ 60,61 ] Therefore, the developed BC‐based scaffolds in the present study could be employed for many other applications.…”

Pectobacterium versatile Bacteriophage Possum: A Complex Polysaccharide-Deacetylating Tail Fiber as a Tool for Host Recognition in Pectobacterial Schitoviridae

“…Escherichia phage G7C uses LPS as a receptor, although the adsorption apparatus comprises branched tail fibers (gp63.1 and gp66), where the first one contains the SGNH hydrolase domain and deacetylates the LPS [ 54 ]. LPS and outer polysaccharides were shown to serve as a primary receptor for P. parmentieri phage φA38 [ 55 ] and Erwinia amylovora phage S6 [ 56 , 57 ].…”

Spontaneous Resistance of Erwinia amylovora Against Bacteriophage Y2 Affects Infectivity of Multiple Phages

“…The phages S6 ( Knecht et al, 2022 ) and M7 (unpublished results) rely on cellulose and the cellulose synthase complex for host cell infection. Cellulose production was monitored and 1430 Y 2 R produced similar amounts of cellulose as the wild type strain (data not shown).…”