Evolutionary responses of Escherichia coli to phage pressure: insights into mucoidy and colanic acid overexpression
Abstract Background Antibiotic resistance is a major issue affecting all spheres of human activity, including agriculture. One significant example is the Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC), a bacterium that infects poultry and leads to substantial economic losses in the farming industry. As an...
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2025-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11605-x |
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| author | Laurie C. Piché Sophie Bories Viacheslav Liato Valérie E. Paquet Linda Saucier Marie-Pierre Létourneau-Montminy Steve J. Charette Rodrigue Dubar Simon J. Labrie Patrick Lagüe Antony T. Vincent |
| author_facet | Laurie C. Piché Sophie Bories Viacheslav Liato Valérie E. Paquet Linda Saucier Marie-Pierre Létourneau-Montminy Steve J. Charette Rodrigue Dubar Simon J. Labrie Patrick Lagüe Antony T. Vincent |
| author_sort | Laurie C. Piché |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Antibiotic resistance is a major issue affecting all spheres of human activity, including agriculture. One significant example is the Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC), a bacterium that infects poultry and leads to substantial economic losses in the farming industry. As antibiotics lose efficacity, bacteriophages (phages) —viruses that specifically target bacteria—are emerging as a promising alternative to antibiotics for treating and preventing bacterial infections. However, bacteria can develop resistance to phages through various mechanisms. Studying the coevolution between a phage and its host bacterium is important to gain insight into the phage's potential as a therapeutic agent. This study investigates the evolutionary responses of an APEC strain and a laboratory E. coli strain to a commercial phage originally isolated from APEC. Results In most cases, phage resistance resulted in a significant increase in mucoidy. Genomic analysis revealed that this resistance consistently correlated with amino acid changes, particularly in proteins involved in colanic acid production, such as YrfF. Further investigation of a mutation found in the YrfF protein demonstrated that this mutation altered the protein’s structure and its interaction with the membrane. Transcriptomic analysis confirmed that the genes involved in colanic acid production were significantly overexpressed. Although the strains possessed a CRISPR-Cas system, it did not contribute to phage resistance. Conclusions This study suggests that specific amino acid changes in key proteins may be a mechanism employed by E. coli, including APEC, to defend against phage infections. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4f37286de87649eebdca79d1eb03dc9d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1471-2164 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Genomics |
| spelling | doaj-art-4f37286de87649eebdca79d1eb03dc9d2025-08-20T03:09:35ZengBMCBMC Genomics1471-21642025-05-0126111610.1186/s12864-025-11605-xEvolutionary responses of Escherichia coli to phage pressure: insights into mucoidy and colanic acid overexpressionLaurie C. Piché0Sophie Bories1Viacheslav Liato2Valérie E. Paquet3Linda Saucier4Marie-Pierre Létourneau-Montminy5Steve J. Charette6Rodrigue Dubar7Simon J. Labrie8Patrick Lagüe9Antony T. Vincent10Institut de biologie intégrative et des systèmes (IBIS), Université LavalInstitut de biologie intégrative et des systèmes (IBIS), Université LavalSyntBioLab Inc. LévisInstitut de biologie intégrative et des systèmes (IBIS), Université LavalDépartement des sciences animales, Faculté des sciences de l’agriculture et de l’alimentation, Université Laval, Pavillon Paul-ComtoisDépartement des sciences animales, Faculté des sciences de l’agriculture et de l’alimentation, Université Laval, Pavillon Paul-ComtoisInstitut de biologie intégrative et des systèmes (IBIS), Université LavalSyntBioLab Inc. LévisSyntBioLab Inc. LévisInstitut de biologie intégrative et des systèmes (IBIS), Université LavalInstitut de biologie intégrative et des systèmes (IBIS), Université LavalAbstract Background Antibiotic resistance is a major issue affecting all spheres of human activity, including agriculture. One significant example is the Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC), a bacterium that infects poultry and leads to substantial economic losses in the farming industry. As antibiotics lose efficacity, bacteriophages (phages) —viruses that specifically target bacteria—are emerging as a promising alternative to antibiotics for treating and preventing bacterial infections. However, bacteria can develop resistance to phages through various mechanisms. Studying the coevolution between a phage and its host bacterium is important to gain insight into the phage's potential as a therapeutic agent. This study investigates the evolutionary responses of an APEC strain and a laboratory E. coli strain to a commercial phage originally isolated from APEC. Results In most cases, phage resistance resulted in a significant increase in mucoidy. Genomic analysis revealed that this resistance consistently correlated with amino acid changes, particularly in proteins involved in colanic acid production, such as YrfF. Further investigation of a mutation found in the YrfF protein demonstrated that this mutation altered the protein’s structure and its interaction with the membrane. Transcriptomic analysis confirmed that the genes involved in colanic acid production were significantly overexpressed. Although the strains possessed a CRISPR-Cas system, it did not contribute to phage resistance. Conclusions This study suggests that specific amino acid changes in key proteins may be a mechanism employed by E. coli, including APEC, to defend against phage infections.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11605-xBacteriophagePhage resistanceColanic acidyrfFMucoidyAPEC |
| spellingShingle | Laurie C. Piché Sophie Bories Viacheslav Liato Valérie E. Paquet Linda Saucier Marie-Pierre Létourneau-Montminy Steve J. Charette Rodrigue Dubar Simon J. Labrie Patrick Lagüe Antony T. Vincent Evolutionary responses of Escherichia coli to phage pressure: insights into mucoidy and colanic acid overexpression BMC Genomics Bacteriophage Phage resistance Colanic acid yrfF Mucoidy APEC |
| title | Evolutionary responses of Escherichia coli to phage pressure: insights into mucoidy and colanic acid overexpression |
| title_full | Evolutionary responses of Escherichia coli to phage pressure: insights into mucoidy and colanic acid overexpression |
| title_fullStr | Evolutionary responses of Escherichia coli to phage pressure: insights into mucoidy and colanic acid overexpression |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evolutionary responses of Escherichia coli to phage pressure: insights into mucoidy and colanic acid overexpression |
| title_short | Evolutionary responses of Escherichia coli to phage pressure: insights into mucoidy and colanic acid overexpression |
| title_sort | evolutionary responses of escherichia coli to phage pressure insights into mucoidy and colanic acid overexpression |
| topic | Bacteriophage Phage resistance Colanic acid yrfF Mucoidy APEC |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-025-11605-x |
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