Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus uses chimeric fibre proteins to recognize and invade a broad range of bacterial hosts

Caulton, Simon G; Lambert, Carey; Tyson, Jess; Radford, Paul; Al-Bayati, Asmaa; Greenwood, Samuel; Banks, Emma J; Clark, Callum; Till, Rob; Pires, Elisabete; Sockett, R. Elizabeth; Lovering, Andrew L

Abstract

Predatory bacteria, like the model endoperiplasmic bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, show several adaptations relevant to their requirements for locating, entering and killing other bacteria. The mechanisms underlying prey recognition and handling remain obscure. Here we use complementary genetic, microscopic and structural methods to address this deficit. During invasion, the B. bacteriovorus protein CpoB concentrates into a vesicular compartment that is deposited into the prey periplasm. Proteomic and structural analyses of vesicle contents reveal several fibre-like proteins, which we name the mosaic adhesive trimer (MAT) superfamily, and show localization on the predator surface before prey encounter. These dynamic proteins indicate a variety of binding capabilities, and we confirm that one MAT member shows specificity for surface glycans from a particular prey. Our study shows that the B. bacteriovorus MAT protein repertoire enables a broad means for the recognition and handling of diverse prey epitopes encountered during bacterial predation and invasion.

Citation

Caulton, S. G., Lambert, C., Tyson, J., Radford, P., Al-Bayati, A., Greenwood, S., Banks, E. J., Clark, C., Till, R., Pires, E., Sockett, R. E., & Lovering, A. L. (2024). Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus uses chimeric fibre proteins to recognize and invade a broad range of bacterial hosts. Nature Microbiology, 9(1), 214-227. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01552-2

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 7, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jan 4, 2024
• Publication Date: Jan 4, 2024
• Deposit Date: Nov 8, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 4, 2024
• Journal: Nature Microbiology
• Electronic ISSN: 2058-5276
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 214-227
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01552-2
• Keywords: Cell Biology; Microbiology (medical); Genetics; Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology; Immunology; Microbiology
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/27079260
• Publisher URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-023-01552-2
• Additional Information: Received: 20 April 2023; Accepted: 7 November 2023; First Online: 4 January 2024; : The authors declare no competing interests.