Inoviruses

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Bacterial Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 2155

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Human Health and Therapeutics Research Center (HHT), National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Interests: bacteriophage biology; phage therapy; antimicrobial resistance; enzybiotics; alternatives to antibiotics

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Human Health and Therapeutics Research Center (HHT), National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Interests: antimicrobial resistance; phage therapy; host–pathogen interaction; vaccines; alternatives to antibiotics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Inoviruses are filamentous bacteriophages that cause a chronic infection of their bacterial host. Significant research has been conducted into the classic inovirus M13 for its molecular biology and biotechnology applications. However, there is limited research into the impact of inoviruses on the fitness and virulence of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens.

In this Special Issue, we aim to gather contributions that advance the current knowledge on the role and impact of these unique understudied phages on bacterial fitness, microbial pathogenesis, and host–pathogen interactions. Manuscripts of original research, reviews, mini-reviews, commentary and perspectives on the following areas of inovirus study are particularly welcome:

  • Identification of novel inoviruses, including the use of viral metagenomics approach
  • Contribution to bacterial pathogenesis
  • Inoviruses as virulence factors
  • Prevalence in multidrug-resistant pathogens
  • Targets for vaccine development (pre-clinical studies)
  • Impact on bacterial fitness
  • Other inoviruses research areas

Dr. Danielle L. Peters
Prof. Dr. Wangxue Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • bacteriophages
  • inoviruses
  • filamentous phages
  • antimicrobial resistance
  • phage and host interaction
  • pathogenesis

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 1262 KiB  
Article
A New Inovirus from the Human Blood Encodes Proteins with Nuclear Subcellular Localization
by Nikolay Popgeorgiev, Mart Krupovic, Julien Hiblot, Laura Fancello, Sonia Monteil-Bouchard and Christelle Desnues
Viruses 2024, 16(3), 475; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16030475 - 20 Mar 2024
Viewed by 750
Abstract
Viruses infecting bacteria (bacteriophages) represent the most abundant viral particles in the human body. They participate in the control of the human-associated bacterial communities and play an important role in the dissemination of virulence genes. Here, we present the identification of a new [...] Read more.
Viruses infecting bacteria (bacteriophages) represent the most abundant viral particles in the human body. They participate in the control of the human-associated bacterial communities and play an important role in the dissemination of virulence genes. Here, we present the identification of a new filamentous single-stranded DNA phage of the family Inoviridae, named Ralstonia Inoviridae Phage 1 (RIP1), in the human blood. Metagenomics and PCR analyses detected the RIP1 genome in blood serum, in the absence of concomitant bacterial infection or contamination, suggesting inovirus persistence in the human blood. Finally, we have experimentally demonstrated that the RIP1-encoded rolling circle replication initiation protein and serine integrase have functional nuclear localization signals and upon expression in eukaryotic cells both proteins were translocated into the nucleus. This observation adds to the growing body of data suggesting that phages could have an overlooked impact on the evolution of eukaryotic cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Inoviruses)
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19 pages, 3155 KiB  
Article
The Inovirus Pf4 Triggers Antiviral Responses and Disrupts the Proliferation of Airway Basal Epithelial Cells
by Medeea C. Popescu, Naomi L. Haddock, Elizabeth B. Burgener, Laura S. Rojas-Hernandez, Gernot Kaber, Aviv Hargil, Paul L. Bollyky and Carlos E. Milla
Viruses 2024, 16(1), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16010165 - 22 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1037
Abstract
Background: The inovirus Pf4 is a lysogenic bacteriophage of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa). People with Cystic Fibrosis (pwCF) experience chronic airway infection with Pa and a significant proportion have high numbers of Pf4 in their airway secretions. Given the known severe damage [...] Read more.
Background: The inovirus Pf4 is a lysogenic bacteriophage of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa). People with Cystic Fibrosis (pwCF) experience chronic airway infection with Pa and a significant proportion have high numbers of Pf4 in their airway secretions. Given the known severe damage in the airways of Pa-infected pwCF, we hypothesized a high Pf4 burden can affect airway healing and inflammatory responses. In the airway, basal epithelial cells (BCs) are a multipotent stem cell population critical to epithelium homeostasis and repair. We sought to investigate the transcriptional responses of BCs under conditions that emulate infection with Pa and exposure to high Pf4 burden. Methods: Primary BCs isolated from pwCF and wild-type (WT) donors were cultured in vitro and exposed to Pf4 or bacterial Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) followed by transcriptomic and functional assays. Results: We found that BCs internalized Pf4 and this elicits a strong antiviral response as well as neutrophil chemokine production. Further, we found that BCs that take up Pf4 demonstrate defective migration and proliferation. Conclusions: Our findings are highly suggestive of Pf4 playing a role in the pathogenicity of Pa in the airways. These findings provide additional evidence for the ability of inoviruses to interact with mammalian cells and disrupt cell function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Inoviruses)
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