A cell wall‐associated polysaccharide is required for bacteriophage adsorption to the <i>Streptococcus thermophilus</i> cell surface - Université du Littoral Côte d'Opale Access content directly
Journal Articles Molecular Microbiology Year : 2020

A cell wall‐associated polysaccharide is required for bacteriophage adsorption to the Streptococcus thermophilus cell surface

Brian Mcdonnell
Laurens Hanemaaijer
  • Function : Author
Francesca Bottacini
  • Function : Author
Philip Kelleher
  • Function : Author
Katherine Lavelle
  • Function : Author
Evgeny Vinogradov
  • Function : Author
Emiel Ver Loren van Themaat
  • Function : Author
Thijs Kouwen
  • Function : Author
Jennifer Mahony
  • Function : Author
Douwe Sinderen
  • Function : Author

Abstract

Streptococcus thermophilus strain ST64987 was exposed to a member of a recently discovered group of S. thermophilus phages (the 987 phage group), generating phageinsensitive mutants, which were then characterized phenotypically and genomically. Decreased phage adsorption was observed in selected bacteriophage-insensitive mutants, and was partnered with a sedimenting phenotype and increased cell chain length or aggregation. Whole genome sequencing of several bacteriophage-insensitive mutants identified mutations located in a gene cluster presumed to be responsible for cell wall polysaccharide production in this strain. Analysis of cell surface-associated glycans by methylation and NMR spectroscopy revealed a complex branched rhamno-polysaccharide in both ST64987 and phage-insensitive mutant BIM3. In addition, a second cell wall-associated polysaccharide of ST64987, composed of hexasaccharide branched repeating units containing galactose and glucose, was absent in the cell wall of mutant BIM3. Genetic complementation of three phage-resistant mutants was shown to restore the carbohydrate and phage resistance profiles of the wild-type strain, establishing the role of this gene cluster in cell wall polysaccharide production and phage adsorption and, thus, infection.

Dates and versions

hal-04049354 , version 1 (13-04-2023)

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Brian Mcdonnell, Laurens Hanemaaijer, Francesca Bottacini, Philip Kelleher, Katherine Lavelle, et al.. A cell wall‐associated polysaccharide is required for bacteriophage adsorption to the Streptococcus thermophilus cell surface. Molecular Microbiology, 2020, 114, pp.31 - 45. ⟨10.1111/mmi.14494⟩. ⟨hal-04049354⟩
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