Phage‐mediated horizontal transfer of Salmonella enterica virulence genes with regulatory feedback from the host

Abstract Phage‐mediated horizontal transfer of virulence genes can enhance the transmission and pathogenicity of Salmonella enterica (S. enterica), a process potentially regulated by its regulatory mechanisms. In this study, we explored the global dynamics of phage‐mediated horizontal transfer in S....

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Main Authors: Tianjing She, Demeng Tan, Jose Luis Balcazar, Ville‐Petri Friman, Danrui Wang, Dong Zhu, Mao Ye, Mingming Sun, Shujian Yuan, Feng Hu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-08-01
Series:iMeta
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/imt2.70042
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author Tianjing She
Demeng Tan
Jose Luis Balcazar
Ville‐Petri Friman
Danrui Wang
Dong Zhu
Mao Ye
Mingming Sun
Shujian Yuan
Feng Hu
author_facet Tianjing She
Demeng Tan
Jose Luis Balcazar
Ville‐Petri Friman
Danrui Wang
Dong Zhu
Mao Ye
Mingming Sun
Shujian Yuan
Feng Hu
author_sort Tianjing She
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Phage‐mediated horizontal transfer of virulence genes can enhance the transmission and pathogenicity of Salmonella enterica (S. enterica), a process potentially regulated by its regulatory mechanisms. In this study, we explored the global dynamics of phage‐mediated horizontal transfer in S. enterica and investigated the role of its regulatory mechanisms in transduction. A total of 5178 viral sequences encoding 12 S. enterica virulence genes were retrieved from the Integrated Microbial Genomes and Virome (IMG/VR) database, alongside 466,136 S. enterica genomes from EnteroBase. Virulence genes, including iacP (acyl carrier protein), mgtB (P‐type Mg2+ transporter), misL (autotransporter porin), and fliC (flagellar filament protein), were widely distributed in phages and S. enterica across North America, Europe, and Asia. Phylogenetic analysis revealed close genetic affinity between phage‐ and bacterial‐encoded virulence genes, suggesting shared ancestry and historical horizontal gene transfer events. The global regulator carbon storage regulator A (csrA) was highly conserved and ubiquitous in S. enterica. Overexpression of csrA inhibited prophage cyclization and release by upregulating the prophage cI repressor during horizontal gene transfer. Overall, these findings enhance our understanding of phage‐mediated horizontal transfer of virulence genes, explore new areas of bacterial regulators that inhibit gene exchange and evolution by affecting phage life cycles, and offer a novel approach to controlling the transmission of phage‐mediated S. enterica virulence genes.
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spelling doaj-art-6422569af2264ac79bd1bd59258cccb72025-08-22T08:13:03ZengWileyiMeta2770-596X2025-08-0144n/an/a10.1002/imt2.70042Phage‐mediated horizontal transfer of Salmonella enterica virulence genes with regulatory feedback from the hostTianjing She0Demeng Tan1Jose Luis Balcazar2Ville‐Petri Friman3Danrui Wang4Dong Zhu5Mao Ye6Mingming Sun7Shujian Yuan8Feng Hu9Soil Ecology Lab, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Solid Organic Waste Utilization Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaShanghai Public Health Clinical Center Fudan University Shanghai ChinaCatalan Institute for Water Research ICRA Girona SpainDepartment of Microbiology University of Helsinki Helsinki FinlandSoil Ecology Lab, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Solid Organic Waste Utilization Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaZhejiang Key Laboratory of Urban Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, Ningbo Urban Environment Observation and Research Station Chinese Academy of Sciences Ningbo ChinaNational Engineering Research Center for Soil Nutrient Management and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanjing ChinaSoil Ecology Lab, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Solid Organic Waste Utilization Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaSoil Ecology Lab, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Solid Organic Waste Utilization Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaSoil Ecology Lab, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Solid Organic Waste Utilization Nanjing Agricultural University Nanjing ChinaAbstract Phage‐mediated horizontal transfer of virulence genes can enhance the transmission and pathogenicity of Salmonella enterica (S. enterica), a process potentially regulated by its regulatory mechanisms. In this study, we explored the global dynamics of phage‐mediated horizontal transfer in S. enterica and investigated the role of its regulatory mechanisms in transduction. A total of 5178 viral sequences encoding 12 S. enterica virulence genes were retrieved from the Integrated Microbial Genomes and Virome (IMG/VR) database, alongside 466,136 S. enterica genomes from EnteroBase. Virulence genes, including iacP (acyl carrier protein), mgtB (P‐type Mg2+ transporter), misL (autotransporter porin), and fliC (flagellar filament protein), were widely distributed in phages and S. enterica across North America, Europe, and Asia. Phylogenetic analysis revealed close genetic affinity between phage‐ and bacterial‐encoded virulence genes, suggesting shared ancestry and historical horizontal gene transfer events. The global regulator carbon storage regulator A (csrA) was highly conserved and ubiquitous in S. enterica. Overexpression of csrA inhibited prophage cyclization and release by upregulating the prophage cI repressor during horizontal gene transfer. Overall, these findings enhance our understanding of phage‐mediated horizontal transfer of virulence genes, explore new areas of bacterial regulators that inhibit gene exchange and evolution by affecting phage life cycles, and offer a novel approach to controlling the transmission of phage‐mediated S. enterica virulence genes.https://doi.org/10.1002/imt2.70042horizontal gene transferphagesregulatorsSalmonella entericavirulence genes
spellingShingle Tianjing She
Demeng Tan
Jose Luis Balcazar
Ville‐Petri Friman
Danrui Wang
Dong Zhu
Mao Ye
Mingming Sun
Shujian Yuan
Feng Hu
Phage‐mediated horizontal transfer of Salmonella enterica virulence genes with regulatory feedback from the host
iMeta
horizontal gene transfer
phages
regulators
Salmonella enterica
virulence genes
title Phage‐mediated horizontal transfer of Salmonella enterica virulence genes with regulatory feedback from the host
title_full Phage‐mediated horizontal transfer of Salmonella enterica virulence genes with regulatory feedback from the host
title_fullStr Phage‐mediated horizontal transfer of Salmonella enterica virulence genes with regulatory feedback from the host
title_full_unstemmed Phage‐mediated horizontal transfer of Salmonella enterica virulence genes with regulatory feedback from the host
title_short Phage‐mediated horizontal transfer of Salmonella enterica virulence genes with regulatory feedback from the host
title_sort phage mediated horizontal transfer of salmonella enterica virulence genes with regulatory feedback from the host
topic horizontal gene transfer
phages
regulators
Salmonella enterica
virulence genes
url https://doi.org/10.1002/imt2.70042
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