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Characterization and classification of Bo4 as a cluster G mycobacteriophage that can infect and lyse M. tuberculosis

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Abstract

Mycobacteriophage therapy is a potential alternative treatment for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Here, we further characterized a mycobacteriophage, Bo4, and evaluated its ability to infect and kill M. tuberculosis. We first found that Bo4 can infect M. tuberculosis and Mycobacterium smegmatis. The observed clear plaques created by Bo4 infection indicated that Bo4 might be a lytic phage able to lyse mycobacterial strains, which was confirmed by phage antimicrobial activity. Bo4 formed clear zones in a medium with pH values of 7.4 or 5.0, suggesting the possibility that Bo4 could lyse mycobacteria, such as M. tuberculosis, in blood as well as in lysosomal macrophages. Further investigation into the Bo4 genome revealed that Bo4 had a dsDNA genome. Moreover, Bo4 contained ~39,318 bp comprised of 66.76 % G+C content. Complete genome sequencing showed high nucleotide identity with cluster G mycobacteriophages, thus classifying Bo4 as a member of the cluster G family. Additionally, annotation of the Bo4 genome indicated that it was a lytic bacteriophage and did not contain any harmful genes that increased mycobacterial virulence or decreased human immunity. Overall, the results of investigation indicate that the Bo4 possesses the potential to destroy M. tuberculosis, making it a potentially useful tool for diagnosing and treating tuberculosis.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Science Major Projects (Grants 2008ZX10003–016). We would like to thank Graham F. Hatfull and Li Peng for excellent technical assistance and inspiration for the project work.

Conflict of interest

All authors declare that no conflict of interest exists.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 1st Youyi Road, Chongqing, 400016, China

    Yiling Gan & Shuliang Guo

  2. Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu City, Chengdu, China

    Tingting Wu

  3. Department of Respiratory Medicine, The People’s Hospital of Changshou District, Chongqing, China

    Ping Liu

Authors
  1. Yiling Gan
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  2. Tingting Wu
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  3. Ping Liu
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  4. Shuliang Guo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shuliang Guo.

Additional information

Communicated by Erko Stackebrandt.

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Gan, Y., Wu, T., Liu, P. et al. Characterization and classification of Bo4 as a cluster G mycobacteriophage that can infect and lyse M. tuberculosis . Arch Microbiol 196, 209–218 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-014-0954-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-014-0954-6

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