Nutrient Availability and Phage Exposure Alter the Quorum-Sensing and CRISPR-Cas-Controlled Population Dynamics of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Stephen Dela Ahator, Sadhanna Sagar, Minya Zhu, Jianhe Wang, Lian‐Hui Zhang
Abstract
The increase in antimicrobial resistance has created the need for alternative interventions such as phage therapy. However, as previously observed with antimicrobial resistance, phage therapy will not be effective if bacteria evolve resistance and persist in the presence of the phages. The QS is commonly known as an arsenal for bacteria communication, virulence, and regulation of the phage defense mechanism, the CRISPR-Cas system. The QS and CRISPR-Cas systems are widespread in bacteria. However, they are known to evolve rapidly under the influence of biotic and abiotic factors in the bacterial environment, resulting in alteration in bacterial genotypes, which enhance phage resistance and fitness. We believe that adequate knowledge of the influence of environmental factors on the bacterial community lifestyle and phage defense mechanisms driven by the QS and CRISPR-Cas system is necessary for developing effective phage therapy.