A Tail Fiber Protein and a Receptor-Binding Protein Mediate ICP2 Bacteriophage Interactions with Vibrio cholerae OmpU
Andrea Lim, Minmin Yen, Kimberley D. Seed, David W. Lazinski, Andrew Camilli
Abstract
Concern over multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens, including Vibrio cholerae, has led to renewed interest in phage biology and the potential for phage therapy. ICP2 is a genetically unique virulent phage isolated from cholera patient stool samples. It is also one of three phages in a prophylactic cocktail that have been shown to be effective in animal models of infection and the only one of the three that requires a protein receptor (OmpU). This study identifies an ICP2 tail fiber and a receptor binding protein and examines how ICP2 responds to the selective pressures of phage-resistant OmpU mutants. We found that this particular coevolutionary arms race presents fitness costs to both ICP2 and V. cholerae.