Epigenetic biosensors for bacteriophage detection and phage receptor discrimination

Description

Environmental monitoring of bacteria using phage-based biosensors has been widely developed for many different species. However, there are only a few available methods to detect specific bacteriophages in raw environmental samples. In this work, we developed a simple and efficient assay to rapidly monitor the phage content of a given sample. The assay is based on the bistable expression of the Salmonella enterica opvAB operon. Under regular growth conditions, opvAB is only expressed by a small fraction of the bacterial subpopulation. In the OpvABON subpopulation, synthesis of the OpvA and OpvB products shortens the O-antigen and confers resistance to phages that use LPS as a receptor. As a consequence, the OpvABON subpopulation is selected in the presence of such phages. Using an opvAB::gfp fusion, we could monitor LPS-binding phages in various media, including raw water samples. To enlarge our phage-biosensor panoply, we also developed biosensors able to detect LPS, as well as protein-binding coliphages. Moreover, the combination of these tools allowed to identify the bacterial receptor triggering phage infection. The epigenetic opvAB::gfp biosensor thus comes in different flavours to detect a wide range of bacteriophages and identify the type of receptor they recognize.

Abstract

Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España. BIO2016-75235-P

Abstract

Agence Nationale de la Recherche de Francia. ANR-16-CE12-0029-01

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