Hot New Publication!!! Manohar et al., The Lysis Cassette of Jumbophage phiKZ
Pseudomonas jumbophage phiKZ is notable for its protein-based nuclear structure formed during infection, which helps protect its DNA from defenses against phages. While progress has been made in understanding how this nucleus forms and other unique traits of phiKZ, its mechanism for breaking down host cells is still unclear. We present bioinformatic, physiological, and molecular evidence for a lysis cassette that is essential for the timely disruption of the host’s envelope. This cluster includes genes for typical components of a multigene lysis (MGL) system, such as holin, endolysin, i-spanin, and o-spanin. A fifth gene, coding for a cytoplasmic protein, was found to speed up holin-mediated cell death when introduced externally. Evidence suggests that this lysis regulator protein interacts with the cytoplasmic part of the phiKZ class III holin. Alpha-fold analysis provided a strong structure of the conserved holin-lysis regulator complex. When phiKZ was used in high quantities, the culture lysis occurred more slowly compared to low quantities, indicating it may have a lysis-inhibition mechanism.
PHAGElogist 