This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Emond, E. Articles by Moineau, S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Emond, E. Articles by Moineau, S. Agricola Articles by Emond, E. Articles by Moineau, S.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl. Environ. Microbiol., Apr 1997, 1274-1283, Vol 63, No. 4
Copyright © 1997, American Society for Microbiology

Phenotypic and genetic characterization of the bacteriophage abortive infection mechanism AbiK from Lactococcus lactis

E Emond, BJ Holler, I Boucher, PA Vandenbergh, ER Vedamuthu, JK Kondo and S Moineau
Department of Biochemistry, Faculte des Sciences et Genie, Universite Laval, Quebec, Canada.

The natural plasmid pSRQ800 isolated from Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis W1 conferred strong phage resistance against small isometric phages of the 936 and P335 species when introduced into phage-sensitive L. lactis strains. It had very limited effect on prolate phages of the c2 species. The phage resistance mechanism encoded on pSRQ800 is a temperature-sensitive abortive infection system (Abi). Plasmid pSRQ800 was mapped, and the Abi genetic determinant was localized on a 4.5-kb EcoRI fragment. Cloning and sequencing of the 4.5-kb fragment allowed the identification of two large open reading frames. Deletion mutants showed that only orf1 was needed to produce the Abi phenotype. orf1 (renamed abiK) coded for a predicted protein of 599 amino acids (AbiK) with an estimated molecular size of 71.4 kDa and a pI of 7.98. DNA and protein sequence alignment programs found no significant homology with databases. However, a database query based on amino acid composition suggested that AbiK might be in the same protein family as AbiA. No phage DNA replication nor phage structural protein production was detected in infected AbiK+ L. lactis cells. This system is believed to act at or prior to phage DNA replication. WHen cloned into a high-copy vector, AbiK efficiency increased 100-fold. AbiK provides another powerful tool that can be useful in controlling phages during lactococcal fermentations.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Haaber, J., Moineau, S., Fortier, L.-C., Hammer, K. (2008). AbiV, a Novel Antiphage Abortive Infection Mechanism on the Chromosome of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris MG1363. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 6528-6537 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Labrie, S. J., Josephsen, J., Neve, H., Vogensen, F. K., Moineau, S. (2008). Morphology, Genome Sequence, and Structural Proteome of Type Phage P335 from Lactococcus lactis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 4636-4644 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Labrie, S. J., Moineau, S. (2007). Abortive Infection Mechanisms and Prophage Sequences Significantly Influence the Genetic Makeup of Emerging Lytic Lactococcal Phages. J. Bacteriol. 189: 1482-1487 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Fortier, L.-C., Bransi, A., Moineau, S. (2006). Genome Sequence and Global Gene Expression of Q54, a New Phage Species Linking the 936 and c2 Phage Species of Lactococcus lactis.. J. Bacteriol. 188: 6101-6114 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Deveau, H., Labrie, S. J., Chopin, M.-C., Moineau, S. (2006). Biodiversity and classification of lactococcal phages.. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 4338-4346 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Donovan, D. M., Dong, S., Garrett, W., Rousseau, G. M., Moineau, S., Pritchard, D. G. (2006). Peptidoglycan Hydrolase Fusions Maintain Their Parental Specificities. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 2988-2996 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Labrie, S., Bart, C., Vadeboncoeur, C., Moineau, S. (2005). Use of an {alpha}-Galactosidase Gene as a Food-Grade Selection Marker for Streptococcus thermophilus. J DAIRY SCI 88: 2341-2347 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Fortier, L.-C., Bouchard, J. D., Moineau, S. (2005). Expression and Site-Directed Mutagenesis of the Lactococcal Abortive Phage Infection Protein AbiK. J. Bacteriol. 187: 3721-3730 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bouchard, J. D., Moineau, S. (2004). Lactococcal Phage Genes Involved in Sensitivity to AbiK and Their Relation to Single-Strand Annealing Proteins. J. Bacteriol. 186: 3649-3652 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Boucher, I., Parrot, M., Gaudreau, H., Champagne, C. P., Vadeboncoeur, C., Moineau, S. (2002). Novel Food-Grade Plasmid Vector Based on Melibiose Fermentation for the Genetic Engineering of Lactococcus lactis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 6152-6161 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bouchard, J. D., Dion, E., Bissonnette, F., Moineau, S. (2002). Characterization of the Two-Component Abortive Phage Infection Mechanism AbiT from Lactococcus lactis. J. Bacteriol. 184: 6325-6332 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Yamaguchi, T., Nishifuji, K., Sasaki, M., Fudaba, Y., Aepfelbacher, M., Takata, T., Ohara, M., Komatsuzawa, H., Amagai, M., Sugai, M. (2002). Identification of the Staphylococcus aureus etd Pathogenicity Island Which Encodes a Novel Exfoliative Toxin, ETD, and EDIN-B. Infect. Immun. 70: 5835-5845 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Yamaguchi, T., Hayashi, T., Takami, H., Ohnishi, M., Murata, T., Nakayama, K., Asakawa, K., Ohara, M., Komatsuzawa, H., Sugai, M. (2001). Complete Nucleotide Sequence of a Staphylococcus aureus Exfoliative Toxin B Plasmid and Identification of a Novel ADP-Ribosyltransferase, EDIN-C. Infect. Immun. 69: 7760-7771 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Dai, G., Su, P., Allison, G. E., Geller, B. L., Zhu, P., Kim, W. S., Dunn, N. W. (2001). Molecular Characterization of a New Abortive Infection System (AbiU) from Lactococcus lactis LL51-1. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67: 5225-5232 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Émond, E., Lavallée, R., Drolet, G., Moineau, S., LaPointe, G. (2001). Molecular Characterization of a Theta Replication Plasmid and Its Use for Development of a Two-Component Food-Grade Cloning System for Lactococcus lactis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67: 1700-1709 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kraus, J., Geller, B. L. (2001). Cloning of Genomic DNA of Lactococcus lactis That Restores Phage Sensitivity to an Unusual Bacteriophage sk1-Resistant Mutant. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67: 791-798 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Twomey, D. P., De Urraza, P. J., McKay, L. L., O'Sullivan, D. J. (2000). Characterization of AbiR, a Novel Multicomponent Abortive Infection Mechanism Encoded by Plasmid pKR223 of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis KR2. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 2647-2651 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Boucher, I., Émond, E., Dion, E., Montpetit, D., Moineau, S. (2000). Microbiological and molecular impacts of AbiK on the lytic cycle of Lactococcus lactis phages of the 936 and P335 species. Microbiology 146: 445-453 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Forde, A., Daly, C., Fitzgerald, G. F. (1999). Identification of Four Phage Resistance Plasmids from Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris HO2. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65: 1540-1547 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Emond, E., Dion, E., Walker, S. A., Vedamuthu, E. R., Kondo, J. K., Moineau, S. (1998). AbiQ, an Abortive Infection Mechanism from Lactococcus lactis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64: 4748-4756 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Chibani Azaïez, S. R., Fliss, I., Simard, R. E., Moineau, S. (1998). Monoclonal Antibodies Raised against Native Major Capsid Proteins of Lactococcal c2-Like Bacteriophages. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64: 4255-4259 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Lubbers, M. W., Schofield, K., Waterfield, N. R., Polzin, K. M. (1998). Transcription Analysis of the Prolate-Headed Lactococcal Bacteriophage c2. J. Bacteriol. 180: 4487-4496 [Abstract] [Full Text]