Multi-conflict islands are a widespread trend within Serratia spp.

Cummins, Thomas; Songra, Suraj; Garrett, Stephen R.; Blower, Tim R.; Mariano, Giuseppina

Abstract

Bacteria carry numerous anti-phage systems in "defense islands" or hotspots. Recent studies have delineated the content and boundaries of these islands in various species, revealing instances of islands that encode additional factors, including antibiotic resistance genes, stress genes, type VI secretion system (T6SS)-dependent effectors, and virulence factors. Our study identifies three defense islands in the Serratia genus with a mixed cargo of anti-phage systems, virulence factors, and different types of anti-bacterial modules, revealing a widespread trend of co-accumulation that extends beyond T6SS-dependent effectors to colicins and contact-dependent inhibition systems. We further report the identification of four distinct anti-phage system/subtypes, including a previously unreported Toll/interleukin (IL)-1 receptor (TIR)-domain-containing system with population-wide immunity, and two loci co-opting a predicted T6SS-related protein for phage defense. This study enhances our understanding of the protein domains that can be co-opted for phage defense, resulting in a highly diversified anti-phage arsenal. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.]

Citation

Cummins, T., Songra, S., Garrett, S. R., Blower, T. R., & Mariano, G. (2024). Multi-conflict islands are a widespread trend within Serratia spp. Cell Reports, 43(12), Article 115055. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2024.115055

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 20, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Dec 10, 2024
• Publication Date: Dec 24, 2024
• Deposit Date: Dec 17, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 17, 2024
• Journal: Cell Reports
• Print ISSN: 2211-1247
• Publisher: Cell Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 43
• Issue: 12
• Article Number: 115055
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2024.115055
• Keywords: anti-phage defense, anti-page systems discovery, CP: Microbiology, defense islands, bacterial immunity, Serratia, TIR, population-wide immunity
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3223151