Unlocking Ancient Secrets: Newโฃ Bacteriophage Structure Offers โHopeโ in Fight Against Antibioticโค Resistance
A team led by ลtฤkou Whakaihu Wakaโ has unveiled a detailed structural map of a bacteriophage – a virus that infects โbacteria -โ providing crucial insights into their potential as a weapon against โคincreasingly drug-resistant infections. The research, published in Science Advances, focuses โon Bas63, a bacteriophage targetingโ E. โขcoli.
“Bacteriophagesโ represent a tremendously exciting โavenue for researchers seeking alternatives to traditional antibiotics,” explains Dr. James Hodgkinson-bean, lead author and recent PhD graduate from the Departmentโค of Microbiologyโข and Immunology. “Their ability to selectively target and eliminate specific bacteria, โwithout โharming human or animal cells, makes them ideal candidates forโฃ ‘phage therapy’โข – a promising approach โขtoโ combatting infections resistant โto โmultiple drugs.”
The studyโฃ utilized advanced 3D analysis to reveal the โขintricate mechanicsโค ofโฃ the phage’s โtail, the structure it usesโข toโ infect bacterial cells. Understanding this processโฃ is key to optimizing phage selection for therapeutic applications andโ interpreting observed โคbehaviors in laboratoryโฃ settings.
Associate Professor Mihnea Bostina, seniorโค author from Otago’s Department of โMicrobiology and Immunology, emphasizes โคthe growing importance of this โresearch. “With antibiotic resistance โฃescalating โฃand global โfood security threatened by โคplant pathogens,โ bacteriophages offer a vital alternative. Thisโ detailedโข structural blueprint โฃwill โขaccelerate the rational โคdesign of phage-based solutions for a wide range โคof applications,from treating infections to controlling โbiofilms โin foodโข processing and water purification.”
Beyond practical applications, โthe team’s findings offer a fascinating glimpse into the deep history of life on โฃEarth. The 3D data reveals unique structural featuresโ – including rare โคwhisker-collar connections,โ hexamer decoration proteins,โค and diverse tail fibers – thatโ provide clues to viral evolution. โข
“while DNA is often used to trace โขevolutionary relationships in โcomplex organisms, the three-dimensional structure of a โvirus is a more powerful tool for understanding โขits ancient origins,”โค says Dr. Hodgkinson-Bean. “Our analysis revealed connections to โvirusesโข previouslyโฃ thoughtโ to be distantly related,even linking bacteriophages to the Herpes virus family – a relationshipโค stretching back billions of โyears,to a โขtime โขbefore multicellular life even existed.”
He adds, with a sense of wonder, “Looking at bacteriophage structure is like looking at living fossils, โคprimordial beings. It’sโข truly โa beautiful concept.”
This research builds upon the team’sโ previous work, recently published in โฃ nature Communications, detailing the structure of bacteriophages impacting potatoโข diseases,โ further solidifying their position at the forefront of phage research. The detailed structural data โฃgenerated byโ this work also โขholds potential beyond the scientific realm,โ inspiring creativity in fields like art, โanimation,โข and โฃeducation.