Bacteriophages that infect the cellulolytic ruminal bacterium Ruminococcus albus AR67

Klieve, Athol V.; Bain, Peter A.; Yokoyama, M. T.; Ouwerkerk, D.; Forster, Robert J.; Turner, AW

doi:10.1111/j.1472-765x.2004.01493.x

Cited by 15 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Restriction modification systems are known for R. albus (22), but differential protection of DNA exported from the bacterial cell has not been reported. In addition to the particle-associated DNA reported here, it was previously noted that phage DNA from R. albus AR67 was not digested by EcoRI (11). The most plausible explanation for this is that only DNA exiting the bacterial cell is restriction modified, which implies that either the modification system or the chromosomal DNA is compartmentalized.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Naturally Occurring DNA Transfer System Associated with Membrane Vesicles in Cellulolytic Ruminococcus spp. of Ruminal Origin

Klieve¹,

Yokoyama

Forster

et al. 2005

Appl Environ Microbiol

101

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A genetic transformation system with similarities to those reported for gram-negative bacteria was found to be associated with membrane vesicles of the ruminal cellulolytic genus Ruminococcus. Double-stranded DNA was recovered from the subcellular particulate fraction of all the cellulolytic ruminococci examined. Electron microscopy revealed that the only particles present resembled membrane vesicles. The likelihood that the DNA was associated with membrane vesicles (also known to contain cellulosomes) was further supported by the adherence of the particles associated with the subcellular DNA to cellulose powder added to culture filtrates. The particle-associated DNA comprised a population of linear molecules ranging in size from <20 kb to 49 kb (Ruminococcus sp. strain YE73) and from 23 kb to 90 kb (Ruminococcus albus AR67). Particle-associated DNA from R. albus AR67 represented DNA derived from genomic DNA of the host bacterium having an almost identical HindIII digestion pattern and an identical 16S rRNA gene. Paradoxically, particle-associated DNA was refractory to digestion with EcoRI, while the genomic DNA was susceptible to extensive digestion, suggesting that there is differential restriction modification of genomic DNA and DNA exported from the cell. Transformation using the vesicle-containing fraction of culture supernatant of Ruminococcus sp. strain YE71 was able to restore the ability to degrade crystalline cellulose to two mutants that were otherwise unable to do so. The ability was heritable and transferred to subsequent generations. It appears that membrane-associated transformation plays a role in lateral gene transfer in complex microbial ecosystems, such as the rumen.The rumen ecosystem comprises a complex of dense microbial communities of bacteria, archaea, protozoans, fungi, and bacteriophages (18). The fermentation effected by this complex microbiota is responsible for the conversion of plant feedstuffs to compounds that can be utilized by the animal. Hence, the fermentations and interactions of the microbes are central to ruminant digestion and nutrition. Of considerable interest are the exchange of genetic material between ruminal bacteria and the mechanisms that may enable this process to occur. While extrachromosomal elements, such as plasmids, transposons, and bacteriophages, are well known from ruminal bacteria, few examples of genetic transfer have been documented, and such transfers are largely inferred from the acquisition of antibiotic resistance genes (21). In addition to the transfer of extrachromosomal genetic elements, the presence of transformation systems, in which the chromosomal DNA of the host bacterium is "broken up" and exported from the cell, is known for a variety of bacterial species but has not been reported for ruminal bacteria. Naturally occurring transformation systems are associated with the release of DNA-containing particles from the cell and comprise two main types, phage-like systems based on particles with a viral appearance (4, 7, 25) and cell wall/membrane...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Naturally Occurring DNA Transfer System Associated with Membrane Vesicles in Cellulolytic Ruminococcus spp. of Ruminal Origin

Klieve¹,

Yokoyama

Forster

et al. 2005

Appl Environ Microbiol

101

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“…Molecular biology was utilized to characterize new phage isolates, with less emphasis on using culture-based methods to understanding phage growth, survival in rumen fluid and host range, and more focus on genome length and restriction enzyme mapping. These analyses were conducted on phage isolates found to specifically infect several strains of rumen bacteria, including Fusobacterium necroforum (Tamada et al, 1985), Selenomonas ruminantium (Lockington et al, 1988), Lactobacillus plantarum (Nemcova et al, 1993), Bacteroides ruminicola Gregg et al, 1994), and Ruminococcus albus (Klieve et al, 2004). These phage isolates were mainly classified within the viral families Myoviridae and Siphoviridae however, some examples of Podoviridae and Inoviridae were also characterized in this way (Klieve et al, 2004).…”

Section: Molecular Biologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A rumen phage isolate with Podoviridae morphology is phage 2BV which infects Streptococcus bovis (Iverson and Millis, 1976a). Reports of phage isolates infecting rumen bacteria with a non-tailed morphotypes have been relatively infrequent, for example, the non-tailed, filamentous Inoviridae phages ϕRa01 and ϕRa03 infect R. albus AR67 (Klieve et al, 2004).…”

Section: Culture-based Viral Isolations and Genome Sequencingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rumen Virus Populations: Technological Advances Enhancing Current Understanding

et al. 2020

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The rumen contains a multi-kingdom, commensal microbiome, including protozoa, bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses, which enables ruminant herbivores to ferment and utilize plant feedstuffs that would be otherwise indigestible. Within the rumen, virus populations are diverse and highly abundant, often outnumbering the microbial populations that they both predate on and co-exist with. To date the research effort devoted to understanding rumen-associated viral populations has been considerably less than that given to the other microbial populations, yet their contribution to maintaining microbial population balance, intra-ruminal microbial lysis, fiber breakdown, nutrient cycling and genetic transfer may be highly significant. This review follows the technological advances which have contributed to our current understanding of rumen viruses and drawing on knowledge from other environmental and animal-associated microbiomes, describes the known and potential roles and impacts viruses have on rumen function and speculates on the future directions of rumen viral research.

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“…the presence and titers of DnA coliphages vary considerably between different animal species and even between individual animals, which is consistent with the fact that a noncultivatable viral community is highly variable [44,45]. However, there are no reports on the specific association of any types or groups of DnA coliphages with a particular spe-reVIeWS cies of animal.…”

Section: Culturable Bacteriophages In the Normal Microflora Of Animalmentioning

confidence: 67%

Ecological Basis for Rational Phage Therapy

2010

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Understanding the mutual interactions of bacterial and phage populations in the environment of a human or animal body is essential in any attempt to influence these complex processes, particularly for rational phage therapy. Current knowledge on the impact of naturally occurring bacteriophages on the populations of their host bacteria, and their role in the homeostasis maintenance of a macro host, is still sketchy. The existing data suggest that different mechanisms stabilize phage-bacteria coexistence in different animal species or different body sites. The defining set of parameters governing phage infection includes specific physical, chemical, and biological conditions, such as pH, nutrient densities, host prevalence, relation to mucosa and other surfaces, the presence of phage inhibiting substances, etc. Phage therapy is also an ecological process that always implies three components that form a complex pattern of interactions: populations of the pathogen, the bacteriophages used as antibacterial agents, and the macroorganism. We present a review of contemporary data on natural bacteriophages occuring in human-and animal-body associated microbial communities, and analyze ecological and physiological considerations that determine the success of phage therapy in mammals. KEYWORDS bacteriophages, phage therapy, human body microbiota, animal body microbiota, bacteriophage ecology ABBREvIATIONS GIT -gastro-intestinal tract, PFU -plaque-forming unit, which corresponds to a one viable bacteriphage particle, if the efficiency of infection in these conditions and in this strain is close to 1; CFU -colony-forming unit, which corresponds to a one viable bacterial cell.

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Bacteriophages that infect the cellulolytic ruminal bacterium Ruminococcus albus AR67

Cited by 15 publications

References 16 publications

Naturally Occurring DNA Transfer System Associated with Membrane Vesicles in Cellulolytic Ruminococcus spp. of Ruminal Origin

Naturally Occurring DNA Transfer System Associated with Membrane Vesicles in Cellulolytic Ruminococcus spp. of Ruminal Origin

Rumen Virus Populations: Technological Advances Enhancing Current Understanding

Ecological Basis for Rational Phage Therapy

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