Conjugative transfer of streptococcal prophages harboring antibiotic resistance and virulence genes

作者：Jinhu Huang, Xingyang Dai, Zuowei Wu, Xiao Hu, Junjie Sun, Yijun Tang, Wanqiu Zhang, Peizhao Han, Jiaqi Zhao, Guangjin Liu, Xiaoming Wang, Shengyong Mao, Yang Wang, Douglas R. Call, Jinxin Liu, Liping Wang · 发表于：The ISME Journal · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1038/s41396-023-01463-4 · 被引用次数：50 · 研究领域：Bacteriophages and microbial interactions、Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus、Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research

Prophages play important roles in the transduction of various functional traits, including virulence factors, but remain debatable in harboring and transmitting antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). Herein we characterize a prevalent family of prophages in Streptococcus, designated SMphages, which harbor twenty-five ARGs that collectively confer resistance to ten antimicrobial classes, including vanG-type vancomycin resistance locus and oxazolidinone resistance gene optrA. SMphages integrate into four chromosome attachment sites by utilizing three types of integration modules and undergo excision in response to phage induction. Moreover, we characterize four subtypes of Alp-related surface proteins within SMphages, the lethal effects of which are extensively validated in cell and animal models. SMphages transfer via high-frequency conjugation that is facilitated by integrative and conjugative elements from either donors or recipients. Our findings explain the widespread of SMphages and the rapid dissemination of ARGs observed in members of the Streptococcus genus.