Characterization and host range prediction of Staphylococcus aureus phages through receptor-binding protein analysis

Summary: Bacteriophages are crucial in bacterial communities and can be used for therapy of multidrug-resistant pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus. However, the host range of new phages remains difficult to predict. We identified the receptor-binding proteins (RBPs) of 335 S. aureus-infecting p...

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Main Authors: Janes Krusche, Christian Beck, Esther Lehmann, David Gerlach, Ellen Daiber, Christoph Mayer, Jennifer Müller, Hadil Onallah, Silvia Würstle, Christiane Wolz, Andreas Peschel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:Cell Reports
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725001408
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author Janes Krusche
Christian Beck
Esther Lehmann
David Gerlach
Ellen Daiber
Christoph Mayer
Jennifer Müller
Hadil Onallah
Silvia Würstle
Christiane Wolz
Andreas Peschel
author_facet Janes Krusche
Christian Beck
Esther Lehmann
David Gerlach
Ellen Daiber
Christoph Mayer
Jennifer Müller
Hadil Onallah
Silvia Würstle
Christiane Wolz
Andreas Peschel
author_sort Janes Krusche
collection DOAJ
description Summary: Bacteriophages are crucial in bacterial communities and can be used for therapy of multidrug-resistant pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus. However, the host range of new phages remains difficult to predict. We identified the receptor-binding proteins (RBPs) of 335 S. aureus-infecting phages, yielding 8 distinct RBP clusters. Recombinant representative RBPs of all clusters, including several subclusters, were analyzed for binding to S. aureus strains differing in potential phage receptor structures. Notably, most of the phages encoded two separate RBPs, and all RBPs used S. aureus wall teichoic acid (WTA) polymers as receptors, albeit with varying preference for WTA glycosylation patterns and backbone structures. Based on these findings, a sequence-based tool for predicting the adsorption of new phages was developed. Moreover, one of the RBPs proved useful for identifying S. aureus-type WTA in other bacterial species. These findings facilitate the characterization of phage and bacterial isolates and the development of phage therapies.
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series Cell Reports
spelling doaj-art-83a1e2e9bb054d368a7260b88c8dbfec2025-08-20T02:11:10ZengElsevierCell Reports2211-12472025-03-0144311536910.1016/j.celrep.2025.115369Characterization and host range prediction of Staphylococcus aureus phages through receptor-binding protein analysisJanes Krusche0Christian Beck1Esther Lehmann2David Gerlach3Ellen Daiber4Christoph Mayer5Jennifer Müller6Hadil Onallah7Silvia Würstle8Christiane Wolz9Andreas Peschel10Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence EXC 2124 “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections”, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, GermanyInterfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence EXC 2124 “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections”, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, GermanyInterfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence EXC 2124 “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections”, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, GermanyMicrobiology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 82152 Martinsried, GermanyInterfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence EXC 2124 “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections”, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, GermanyInterfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence EXC 2124 “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections”, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, GermanyInstitute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; NGS Competence Center Tübingen (NCCT), 72076 Tübingen, GermanyInfectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60596 Frankfurt, GermanyInfectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine II, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60596 Frankfurt, Germany; Yale Center for Phage Biology & Therapy, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USAInterfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence EXC 2124 “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections”, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, GermanyInterfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence EXC 2124 “Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections”, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany; Corresponding authorSummary: Bacteriophages are crucial in bacterial communities and can be used for therapy of multidrug-resistant pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus. However, the host range of new phages remains difficult to predict. We identified the receptor-binding proteins (RBPs) of 335 S. aureus-infecting phages, yielding 8 distinct RBP clusters. Recombinant representative RBPs of all clusters, including several subclusters, were analyzed for binding to S. aureus strains differing in potential phage receptor structures. Notably, most of the phages encoded two separate RBPs, and all RBPs used S. aureus wall teichoic acid (WTA) polymers as receptors, albeit with varying preference for WTA glycosylation patterns and backbone structures. Based on these findings, a sequence-based tool for predicting the adsorption of new phages was developed. Moreover, one of the RBPs proved useful for identifying S. aureus-type WTA in other bacterial species. These findings facilitate the characterization of phage and bacterial isolates and the development of phage therapies.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725001408CP: Microbiology
spellingShingle Janes Krusche
Christian Beck
Esther Lehmann
David Gerlach
Ellen Daiber
Christoph Mayer
Jennifer Müller
Hadil Onallah
Silvia Würstle
Christiane Wolz
Andreas Peschel
Characterization and host range prediction of Staphylococcus aureus phages through receptor-binding protein analysis
Cell Reports
CP: Microbiology
title Characterization and host range prediction of Staphylococcus aureus phages through receptor-binding protein analysis
title_full Characterization and host range prediction of Staphylococcus aureus phages through receptor-binding protein analysis
title_fullStr Characterization and host range prediction of Staphylococcus aureus phages through receptor-binding protein analysis
title_full_unstemmed Characterization and host range prediction of Staphylococcus aureus phages through receptor-binding protein analysis
title_short Characterization and host range prediction of Staphylococcus aureus phages through receptor-binding protein analysis
title_sort characterization and host range prediction of staphylococcus aureus phages through receptor binding protein analysis
topic CP: Microbiology
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211124725001408
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