Prevalence of Broad-Host-Range Lytic Bacteriophages of Sphaerotilus Natans, Escherichia Coli, and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa
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University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Papers in Microbiology Papers in the Biological Sciences 2-1-1998 Prevalence of Broad-Host-Range Lytic Bacteriophages of Sphaerotilus natans, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Ellen C. Jensen College of Saint Benedict, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, [email protected] Holly S. Schrader University of Nebraska-Lincoln Brenda Rieland College of Saint Benedict, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota Thomas L. Thompson University of Nebraska-Lincoln Kit W. Lee University of Nebraska-Lincoln See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/bioscimicro Part of the Microbiology Commons Jensen, Ellen C.; Schrader, Holly S.; Rieland, Brenda; Thompson, Thomas L.; Lee, Kit W.; Nickerson, Kenneth W.; and Kokjohn, Tyler A., "Prevalence of Broad-Host-Range Lytic Bacteriophages of Sphaerotilus natans, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa" (1998). Papers in Microbiology. 33. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/bioscimicro/33 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Papers in the Biological Sciences at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Papers in Microbiology by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Authors Ellen C. Jensen, Holly S. Schrader, Brenda Rieland, Thomas L. Thompson, Kit W. Lee, Kenneth W. Nickerson, and Tyler A. Kokjohn This article is available at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/ bioscimicro/33 APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY, Feb. 1998, p. 575–580 Vol. 64, No. 2 0099-2240/98/$04.0010 Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology Prevalence of Broad-Host-Range Lytic Bacteriophages of Sphaerotilus natans, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ELLEN C. JENSEN,1 HOLLY S. SCHRADER,2 BRENDA RIELAND,1 THOMAS L. THOMPSON,2† 2 2 2 KIT W. LEE, KENNETH W. NICKERSON, AND TYLER A. KOKJOHN * Department of Biology, College of Saint Benedict, Saint John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321,1 and School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-06662 Received 27 June 1997/Accepted 17 November 1997 Two bacteriophage collections were examined with regard to their ability to form plaques on multiple bacterial host species. Nine of 10 phages studied were found to be broad-host-range bacteriophages. These phages fell into two groups. Group 1, the SN series, was isolated from sewage treatment plant samples with Sphaerotilus natans ATCC 13338 as a host. The DNAs of these bacteriophages contained modified bases and were insensitive to cleavage by type I and II restriction endonucleases. The efficiency of plating of these bacteriophages was changed only slightly on the alternate host. Group 2, the BHR series, was isolated by a two-host enrichment protocol. These bacteriophages were sensitive to restriction, and their efficiency of plating was dramatically reduced on the alternate host. Our results suggest that a multiple-host enrichment protocol may be more effective for the isolation of broad-host-range bacteriophages by avoiding the selection bias inherent in single-host methods. At least two of the broad-host-range bacteriophages mediated generalized transduction. We suggest that broad-host-range bacteriophages play a key role in phage ecology and gene transfer in nature. Bacteriophages are viral parasites of bacteria first recog- bon in marine ecosystems (3, 9, 35) and which are present in nized early in the 20th century (8, 13). While virion particles very large numbers in other ecosystems as well (15, 22, 26). are capable of independent existence outside the host, all bac- Surprisingly, systematic studies of broad-host-range interac- teriophages are obligate intracellular parasites and must enter tions of bacteriophages and of the relative frequencies with a host bacterium to replicate. Studies of bacteriophage infec- which such bacteriophages may be isolated are lacking. Two tion have revealed that the process is initiated when the virion important questions concern the relative frequencies with interacts with host cell surface receptor molecules (14). Many which bacteriophages exhibiting a wide host range may be bacteriophages are known to be highly specific for their recep- isolated from nature and the percentages of broad-host-range tors and show little or no interaction with receptors with an phages that can be identified in existing virus collections. even slightly different structure. This specificity forms the basis To address the question of the distribution of broad-host- of numerous phage typing methods for the identification of range bacteriophages, we examined several independent phage bacterial species or subspecies (37). collections. The first was obtained in the 1970s from sewage In contrast, it is clear that some bacteriophages do produc- treatment plants with Sphaerotilus natans as a host, while the tively infect a range of bacterial species. Of these broad-host- others were recently obtained from a freshwater pond and range phages, P1 and Mu are the best studied. Bacteriophage sewage with Pseudomonas aeruginosa and E. coli as hosts. The P1 is a generalized transducing virus capable of plaque forma- experiments demonstrated that broad-host-range bacterio- tion on several enteric species in addition to Escherichia coli phages are readily isolated from aquatic environments and that (40), while bacteriophage Mu produces progeny virions capa- some of these bacteriophages are capable of generalized trans- ble of adsorption to and plaque production on different bac- duction. During the course of this study, we observed that the terial species (12) due to the differential orientation of the frequency with which broad-host-range bacteriophages are iso- invertible viral G segment region (12, 36). Bacteriophages able lated is increased by the use of isolation protocols that include to interact with a wide range of host species would be signifi- two bacterial host species for enrichments rather than one. cant in the control of the composition and genetic diversity of microbial communities as well as the processes of transduc- MATERIALS AND METHODS tional gene exchange and the transfer of antibiotic resistance Bacteria and bacteriophages. Bacterial strains used for bacteriophage propa- genes through those communities. The prevalence of broad- gation and titration were E. coli AB1157 (5), P. aeruginosa PAO1, PAO303, and host-range phages relates to the origin of virus particles which OT684 (32), and S. natans ATCC 13338 from the American Type Culture compose such a large percentage of the dissolved organic car- Collection (Rockville, Md.). Bacteriophages used in this study are described in Table 1. Following their isolation 18 to 26 years ago, bacteriophages SN-1, SN-2, SN-X, and SN-T were stored undisturbed in sealed containers until their use in this study. Bacteriophage lysates were produced by modifications of the soft-agar overlay method (1). Media. * Corresponding author. Present address: Department of Microbi- Medium components were obtained from Difco (Detroit, Mich.). Luria broth contained 1% (wt/vol) tryptone, 1% (wt/vol) NaCl, and 0.5% (wt/vol) yeast ology, Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern Univer- extract. Luria agar contained Luria broth with the addition of 1.3% (wt/vol) agar. sity, 19555 N. 59th Ave., Glendale, AZ 85308. Phone: (602) 572-3225. Lambda top agar contained 1% (wt/vol) tryptone, 0.5% (wt/vol) NaCl, and Fax: (602) 572-3226. E-mail: [email protected]. 0.65% (wt/vol) agar. TGY medium, containing 1% tryptone, 1% glycerol, and † Retired January 1988. 0.2% yeast extract (39), was used for the propagation of all S. natans hosts 575 576 JENSEN ET AL. APPL.ENVIRON.MICROBIOL. TABLE 1. Bacteriophages used in this study Bacteriophage Isolation location and date Isolation host(s) Source or reference SN-1 Lincoln, Nebr., sewage; 1976 S. natans ATCC 13338 39 SN-2 Lincoln, Nebr., activated sludge sewage treatment plant; 1980 S. natans ATCC 13338 38 SN-X Lincoln, Nebr., activated sludge sewage treatment plant; 1980 S. natans ATCC 13338 38 SN-T Lincoln, Nebr., sewage; 1972 S. natans LL1 T. L. Thompson BHR1 Pioneer’s Park Pond, Lincoln, Nebr.; 1996 E. coli AB1157 and P. aeruginosa PAO303 This study BHR2 Pioneer’s Park Pond, Lincoln, Nebr.; 1996 E. coli AB1157 and P. aeruginosa PAO303 This study BHR3 Lincoln, Nebr., sewage; 1996 E. coli AB1157 and S. natans ATCC 13338 This study BHR4 Lincoln, Nebr., sewage; 1996 E. coli AB1157 and S. natans ATCC 13338 This study BHR5 Lincoln, Nebr., sewage; 1996 E. coli AB1157 and S. natans ATCC 13338 This study D3 Australia P. aeruginosa PAO1 16, 20 F116 Australia P. aeruginosa PAO1 16, 20 and bacteriophages. TGY agar contained TGY medium and 1.3% (wt/vol) agar, containing 0.4% glucose and incubated at 37°C for 3 to 4 days. Under these 1 and TGY top agar contained TGY medium and 0.65% (wt/vol) agar. TMN buffer conditions, only clones that have received DNA via transduction from an Arg 2 contained 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4), 10 mM MgSO4, and 150 mM NaCl. donor or revertants of the Arg phenotype will grow to form detectable colonies. Because S. natans is sensitive to inhibition by sodium ions (39), a 0.5% (wt/vol) Uninfected-cell control experiments were conducted in parallel for each trans- tryptone solution was used as a diluent for all S. natans bacteriophages. Chem- duction experiment. Under the conditions used, the rate of reversion to arginine 2 icals were obtained from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, Mo.). prototrophy for P. aeruginosa PAO303 was observed to be approximately 10 8. Bacteriophage isolation procedures. Bacteriophages were isolated by an en- Experiments were considered positive for transduction only if the infected plates richment procedure in which environmental water samples were amended with produced a minimum of 10-fold more colonies than the uninfected control 1 2 an equal volume of growth medium containing a 1:100 (vol/vol) dilution of an plates, i.e., a frequency of Arg colonies of 10 7 or higher.