Bacteriophage translocation

The occurrence of phages in the human body, especially in the gastrointestinal tract, raises the question of their potential role in the physiology and pathology of this system. Especially important is the issue of whether phages can pass the intestinal wall and migrate to lymph, peripheral blood, and internal organs and, if so, the effects such a phenomenon could have (such passage by bacteria, known as bacterial translocation, has been shown to cause various disturbances in humans, from immune defects to sepsis). Available data from the literature support the assumption that phage translocation can take place and may have some immunomodulatory effects. In addition, phages of the gut may play a protective role by inhibiting local immune reactions to antigens derived from gut flora.     

Bacteriophage genomics

The past three years have seen an escalation in the number of sequenced bacteriophage genomes with more than 500 now in the NCBI phage database, representing a more than threefold increase since 2005. These span at least 70 different bacterial hosts, with two-thirds of the sequenced genomes of phages representing only eight bacterial hosts. Three key features emerge from the comparative analysis of these genomes. First, they span a very high degree of genetic diversity, suggesting early evolutionary origins. Second, the genome architectures are mosaic, reflecting an unusually high degree of horizontal genetic exchange in their evolution. Third, phage genomes contain a very high proportion of novel genetic sequences of unknown function, and probably represent the largest reservoir of unexplored genes. With an estimated 10(31) bacterial and archael viruses in the biosphere, our view of the virosphere will draw into sharper focus as further bacteriophage genomes are characterized.     

Bacteriophage genomics

Comparative genomic studies of bacteriophages, especially the tailed phages, together with environmental studies, give a dramatic new picture of the size, genetic structure and dynamics of this population. Sequence comparisons reveal some of the detailed mechanisms by which these viruses evolve and influence the evolution of their bacterial and archaeal hosts. We see rampant horizontal exchange of sequences among genomes, mediated by both homologous and nonhomologous recombination. High frequency exchange among phages occupying similar ecological niches leads to a high degree of mosaic diversity in local populations. Horizontal exchange also takes place at lower frequency across the entire span of phage sequence space.     

噬菌体裂解酶研究进展

噬菌体裂解酶是双链DNA噬菌体所特有的细胞壁水解酶。研究表明,所有噬菌体裂解酶在结构上具有相似性,即含有2个结构域：比较保守的N端催化区和差异较大的C端特异性结合区。裂解酶的高亲和性与种属特异的细胞壁糖基有关,而后常常是细菌存活的必要成分。所以,细菌难以产生对裂解酶的抗性。本简要综述噬茵体裂解酶的研究进展。     

噬菌体治疗研究进展

噬菌体发现之初, 便被前苏联和东欧医学界用来治疗细菌感染。但是, 随着抗生素时代的到来, 人们慢慢忽略了对噬菌体的深入研究。近来, 由于全球耐药菌感染率不断攀升, 用抗生素治疗细菌感染面临了前所未有的挑战, 一些科学家和临床工作者开始重新把注意力集中到噬菌体研究上来, 并在这个领域取得了极大的进展, 尤其是通过大量的实验证明: 噬菌体可以有效地提高细菌感染的实验动物的存活率。本文就近几年国内外的科研工作者在噬菌体治疗领域所取得的进展做一综述。     

Bacteriophage Tail Components: II. Dihydrofolate Reductase in T4D Bacteriophage

The protein component of the T-even bacteriophage coat which binds the phage-specific dihydropteroyl polyglutamate has been identified as the phage-induced dihydrofolate reductase. Dihydrofolate reductase activity has been found in highly purified preparations of T-even phage ghosts and phage substructures after partial denaturation. The highest specific enzymatic activity was found in purified tail plate preparations, and it was concluded that this enzyme was a structural component of the phage tail plate. Phage viability was directly correlated with the enzymological properties of the phage tail plate dihydrofolate reductase. All reactions catalyzed by this enzyme which changed the oxidation state of the phage dihydrofolate also inactivated the phage. Properties of two T4D dihydrofolate reductase-negative mutants, wh1 and wh11, have been examined. Various lines of evidence support the view that the product of the wh locus of the phage genome is normally incorporated into the phage tail structure. The effects of various dihydrofolate reductase inhibitors on phage assembly in in vitro complementation experiments with various extracts of conditional lethal T4D mutants have been examined. These inhibitors were found to specifically block complementation when added to extracts which did not contain preformed tail plates. If tail plates were present, inhibitors such as aminopterin, did not affect further phage assembly. This specific inhibition of tail plate formation in vitro confirms the analytical and genetic evidence that this phage-induced "early" enzyme is a component of the phage coat.