Broad-Host Range Gene Transporter Particles Produced by Aliivibrio fischeri

Abstract

Aliivibrio fischeri NCIMB1281T (basonym, Vibrio fischeri) spontaneously started broad-host range vector particle (AfVP) production by budding from the logarithmic phase, and stabilised at around 7.0×10 10 -7.4×10 11 particles mLwithout any accompanying change in the host population. AfVPs had a spherical shape and varied in diameter from 18.1 to 159.2 nm [median±SD, 58.4±11.9 nm, n=528], with 95.1% between 30.2 and 84.6 nm in diameter exhibiting a normal distribution. Their buoyant density and DNA content ranged from 1.3607 to 1.3980 g cm −3 , and 17.3 to 95.3 kbp, respectively. Regardless of UV treatment, AfVPs enhanced the efficiency of plating 116-136% at a multiplicity of infection of ca. 140 in Escherichia coli AB1157. Generalised transduction was observed with a frequency of between 10 −4 and 10 −6 cells per AfVP without UV treatment. Upon infection, the particle membrane remained outside the recipient cell, and a string-like structure coated with a fibrous proteinaceous-like material was present. The growth of the E. coli transductant (AfV-E-trans) reached a maximum of ca. 415% that of the parental E. coli recipient. AfV-Etrans acquired the ability to produce budding particles.

Marine Viruses: Truth or Dare

“…More recent studies accentuate the complexity of marine phage-host interactions, where a single phage isolate could infect as few as one or as many as 20 host strains tested, with up to six orders of magnitude difference in the sensitivity of various hosts to the same phage isolate (Holmfeldt et al 2007). Many cultured marine phages have extremely narrow host ranges (not infecting even closely related strains; Rohwer et al 2000), whereas some cultured marine phages can infect multiple strains of the same species (Wichels et al 2002), different related species (Comeau et al 2006), or vastly different species (Chiura et al 2009). Both phage type and isolation host seem to affect the breadth of host range observed in laboratory studies.…”

Effect of N-Acetyl-D-Glucosamine on Gene Expression in Vibrio parahaemolyticus

“…VP0704 encodes MetQ (YaeC), an antigenic protein of V. vulnificus, activated via Toll receptors (21). The induction of competence genes may influence the clonality of vibrios (10,39) The present study provides new information on the gene expression of V. parahaemolyticus grown on GlcNAc. This aminosugar promotes cell growth and influences the physiology of this Vibrio by interfering with the gene expression associated with different cellular processes, most notably the processes for scavenging energy and genome plasticity.…”