<i>Bacillus pumilus</i> 15.1, a Strain Active against <i>Ceratitis capitata</i>, Contains a Novel Phage and a Phage-Related Particle with Bacteriocin Activity
A 98.1 Kb genomic region from <i>B. pumilus</i> 15.1, a strain isolated as an entomopathogen toward <i>C. capitata</i>, the Mediterranean fruit fly, has been characterised in search of potential virulence factors. The 98.1 Kb region shows a high number of phage-related protei...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-07-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/15/8164 |
| Summary: | A 98.1 Kb genomic region from <i>B. pumilus</i> 15.1, a strain isolated as an entomopathogen toward <i>C. capitata</i>, the Mediterranean fruit fly, has been characterised in search of potential virulence factors. The 98.1 Kb region shows a high number of phage-related protein-coding ORFs. Two regions with different phylogenetic origins, one with 28.7 Kb in size, highly conserved in <i>Bacillus</i> strains, and one with 60.2 Kb in size, scarcely found in <i>Bacillus</i> genomes are differentiated. The content of each region is thoroughly characterised using comparative studies. This study demonstrates that these two regions are responsible for the production, after mitomycin induction, of a phage-like particle that packages DNA from the host bacterium and a novel phage for <i>B. pumilus</i>, respectively. Both the phage-like particles and the novel phage are observed and characterised by TEM, and some of their structural proteins are identified by protein fingerprinting. In addition, it is found that the phage-like particle shows bacteriocin activity toward other <i>B. pumilus</i> strains. The effect of the phage-like particles and the phage in the toxicity of the strain toward <i>C. capitata</i> is also evaluated. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |