TY - JOUR
T1 - Bacteriophages benefit from mobilizing pathogenicity islands encoding immune systems against competitors
AU - Fillol-Salom, Alfred
AU - Rostøl, Jakob T.
AU - Ojiogu, Adaeze D.
AU - Chen, John
AU - Douce, Gill
AU - Humphrey, Suzanne
AU - Penadés, José R.
PY - 2022/8/18
Y1 - 2022/8/18
N2 - Bacteria encode sophisticated anti-phage systems that are diverse and versatile and display high genetic mobility. How this variability and mobility occurs remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that a widespread family of pathogenicity islands, the phage-inducible chromosomal islands (PICIs), carry an impressive arsenal of defense mechanisms, which can be disseminated intra- and inter-generically by helper phages. These defense systems provide broad immunity, blocking not only phage reproduction, but also plasmid and non-cognate PICI transfer. Our results demonstrate that phages can mobilize PICI-encoded immunity systems to use them against other mobile genetic elements, which compete with the phages for the same bacterial hosts. Therefore, despite the cost, mobilization of PICIs may be beneficial for phages, PICIs, and bacteria in nature. Our results suggest that PICIs are important players controlling horizontal gene transfer and that PICIs and phages establish mutualistic interactions that drive bacterial ecology and evolution.
AB - Bacteria encode sophisticated anti-phage systems that are diverse and versatile and display high genetic mobility. How this variability and mobility occurs remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that a widespread family of pathogenicity islands, the phage-inducible chromosomal islands (PICIs), carry an impressive arsenal of defense mechanisms, which can be disseminated intra- and inter-generically by helper phages. These defense systems provide broad immunity, blocking not only phage reproduction, but also plasmid and non-cognate PICI transfer. Our results demonstrate that phages can mobilize PICI-encoded immunity systems to use them against other mobile genetic elements, which compete with the phages for the same bacterial hosts. Therefore, despite the cost, mobilization of PICIs may be beneficial for phages, PICIs, and bacteria in nature. Our results suggest that PICIs are important players controlling horizontal gene transfer and that PICIs and phages establish mutualistic interactions that drive bacterial ecology and evolution.
KW - bacteriophage
KW - defense islands
KW - horizontal gene transfer
KW - mobile genetic elements
KW - PICI
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85136156811&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cell.2022.07.014
DO - 10.1016/j.cell.2022.07.014
M3 - Article
C2 - 35985290
AN - SCOPUS:85136156811
SN - 0092-8674
VL - 185
SP - 3248-3262.e20
JO - Cell
JF - Cell
IS - 17
ER -