Interactions between mobile genetic elements: An anti-phage gene in an integrative and conjugative element protects host cells from predation by a temperate bacteriophage
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journal.pgen.1010065.pdf
Description
Published version
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1.8 MB
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Author(s)
Johnson, Christopher M.
Harden, M. Michael
Grossman, Alan D.
Date Issued
February 2022
Journal
PLOS Genetics
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Citation
Johnson, Christopher M, Harden, M Michael and Grossman, Alan D. 2022. "Interactions between mobile genetic elements: An anti-phage gene in an integrative and conjugative element protects host cells from predation by a temperate bacteriophage." PLOS Genetics, 18 (2).
Abstract
Most bacterial genomes contain horizontally acquired and transmissible mobile genetic elements, including temperate bacteriophages and integrative and conjugative elements. Little is known about how these elements interact and co-evolved as parts of their host genomes. In many cases, it is not known what advantages, if any, these elements provide to their bacterial hosts. Most strains of Bacillus subtilis contain the temperate phage SPß and the integrative and conjugative element ICEBs1. Here we show that the presence of ICEBs1 in cells protects populations of B. subtilis from predation by SPß, likely providing selective pressure for the maintenance of ICEBs1 in B. subtilis. A single gene in ICEBs1 (yddK, now called spbK for SPß killing) was both necessary and sufficient for this protection. spbK inhibited production of SPß, during both activation of a lysogen and following de novo infection. We found that expression spbK, together with the SPß gene yonE constitutes an abortive infection system that leads to cell death. spbK encodes a TIR (Toll-interleukin-1 receptor)-domain protein with similarity to some plant antiviral proteins and animal innate immune signaling proteins. We postulate that many uncharacterized cargo genes in ICEs may confer selective advantage to cells by protecting against other mobile elements.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology
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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1010065
