Structural and functional insights into the regulation of the lysis–lysogeny decision in viral communities

Dou, Chao; Xiong, Jingang; Gu, Yijun; Yin, Kun; Wang, Jinjing; Hu, Yanfei; Zhou, Dan; Fu, Xianghui; Qi, Shiqian; Zhu, Xiaofeng; Yao, Su; Xu, Heng; Nie, Chao; Liang, Zongan; Yang, Shengyong; Wei, Yuquan; Cheng, Wei

doi:10.1038/s41564-018-0259-7

Cited by 53 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Each phage responds specifically only to its own peptide. Consistently, the structure of the AimR peptide receptor bound to its cognate peptide has recently been determined for phages phi3T and SPbeta, showing high specificity between the peptide and its binding pocket within the receptor (Dou et al, 2018;Gallego del Sol et al, 2019;Wang et al, 2018;Zhen et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Widespread Utilization of Peptide Communication in Phages Infecting Soil and Pathogenic Bacteria

Stokar-Avihail

Tal

Erez

et al. 2019

Cell Host & Microbe

112

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Graphical Abstract Highlights d Arbitrium-like systems are common in phages infecting pathogens and soil bacteria d Peptide-based arbitrium communication regulates lysogeny in numerous phage types d Arbitrium systems are frequently encoded on mobile pathogenicity elements d A peptide-responsive non-coding RNA controls the regulator of the lysogenic state Authors Avigail Stokar-Avihail, Nitzan Tal, Zohar Erez, Anna Lopatina, Rotem Sorek Correspondence rotem.sorek@weizmann.ac.il In Brief Stokar-Avihail et al. discovered that numerous types of phages and mobile genetic elements encode peptide-based communication systems that guide lysogeny decisions. These elements infect many soil and pathogenic Bacilli. Peptide-based lysogeny decisions are likely executed by a non-coding RNA that controls the regulator of lysogeny. SUMMARY Temperate phages can adopt either a lytic or lysogenic lifestyle within their host bacteria. It was recently shown that Bacillus-subtilis-infecting phages of the SPbeta group utilize a peptide-based communication system called arbitrium to coordinate the lysogeny decision. The occurrence of peptide-based communication systems among phages more broadly remains to be explored. Here, we uncover a wide array of peptide-based communication systems utilized by phages for lysogeny decisions. These arbitrium-like systems show diverse peptide codes and can be detected in numerous genetically distant phage types and conjugative elements. The pathogens Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus, andBacillus thuringiensis are commonly infected by arbitrium-carrying mobile elements, which often carry toxins essential for pathogenicity. Experiments with phages containing these arbitrium-like systems demonstrate their involvement in lysogeny decisions. Finally, our results suggest that the peptidebased decision is executed by an antisense RNA that controls the regulator of the lysogenic state.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 70%

Widespread Utilization of Peptide Communication in Phages Infecting Soil and Pathogenic Bacteria

Stokar-Avihail

Tal

Erez

et al. 2019

Cell Host & Microbe

112

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“…However, such a phage would incur a cost in terms of lysing cells when resources are scarce, which may prevent progeny virions from finding susceptible host cells. What has been shown is that AimP peptides have diverged rapidly between species, and that structural changes in the receptors can help increase signal specificity [29]. This suggests that cross-signaling is detrimental either for the producers or the receptors of the signal.…”

Section: Communication Among Phagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Bacteriophages

2020

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Despite their simplicity, viruses can display social-like interactions such as cooperation, communication, and cheating. Focusing on bacteriophages, here we review features including viral product sharing, cooperative evasion of antiviral defenses, prudent host exploitation, superinfection exclusion, and inter-phage peptide-mediated signaling. We argue that, in order to achieve a better understanding of these processes, their mechanisms of action need to be considered in the context of social evolution theory, paying special attention to key population-level factors such as genetic relatedness and spatial structure.

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“…Those technical details, reported in five papers [3][4][5][6][7] over the past nine months, helped to explain exactly how the short peptides Sorek discovered influence viral decision-making. For Marina, however, this is just the start of the story: he suspects that the communication system probably serves many more functions.…”

Section: Social Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The secret social lives of viruses

Dolgin¹

2019

Nature

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Long thought the lone wolves of the microbial world, viruses are turning out to be surprisingly sociable. Listening in could be the key to fighting infection. G eneticist Rotem Sorek could see that his bacteria were sick-so far, so good. He had deliberately infected them with a virus to test whether each ailing microbe soldiered on alone or communicated with its allies to fight the attack. But when he and his team at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, looked into the contents of their flasks, they saw something completely unexpected: the bacteria were silent, and it was the viruses that were chattering away, passing notes to each other in a molecular language only they could understand. They were deciding together when to lie low in the host cell and when to replicate and burst out, in search of new victims. It was an accidental discovery that would fundamentally change scientists' understanding of how viruses behave. Viruses that infect bacteria-spiky lollipop-like creatures known as bacteriophages (or phages)-have surveillance mechanisms that bring them intel on whether to stay dormant or attack, depending on the availability of fresh victims. But researchers long thought these processes were passive; the phages seemed to just sit back and listen in, waiting for bacterial distress signals to reach fever pitch before taking action. Sorek and his colleagues had found phages actively

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Structural and functional insights into the regulation of the lysis–lysogeny decision in viral communities

Cited by 53 publications

References 30 publications

Widespread Utilization of Peptide Communication in Phages Infecting Soil and Pathogenic Bacteria

Widespread Utilization of Peptide Communication in Phages Infecting Soil and Pathogenic Bacteria

Social Bacteriophages

The secret social lives of viruses

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