Part:BBa_K3782008
Pseudomonas syringae DSM50252 derived tailocin gene cluster
Tailocin Gene Cluster
This part is the tailocin gene cluster of Pseudomonas syringae pv. aptata DSM50252. Tailocins are phage-derived bacteriocins produced by several species of bacteria in order to compete against closely related bacterial strains (often even of the same species) without harming cells from their producer’s strain[1]. They structurally look like phage tails and are encoded by phage genes repurposed by bacteria[2]. When tailocins encounter their target bacteria, they bind to their cell wall and contract, thus perforating the wall. This creates a pore, which dissipates the proton gradient and kill the target cell. This mechanism allows a potent killing efficiency, as only one or few particles are sufficient to kill the cell[3].
Profile
| Name | Tailocin Gene Cluster |
| Base pairs | |
| Number of amino acids | |
| Molecular weight | 25.35 kDa |
| Origin | Pseudomonas syringae pv. aptata DSM50252, extracted |
Usage and Biology
This gene cluster is found naturally in Pseudomonas syringae pv. aptata DSM50252. It contains both structural genes, necessary to building the tailocin, and lysis genes, which lyse the producer cell in order to release the tailocins. The genes were identified using PHASTER, the detailed annotation results are available here[4].
This tailocin targets several strains of Pseudomonas syringae, a detailed list of which can be found in Baltrus et al. 2019[6].
In our project, we aimed at using this protein complex to kill the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae B301D.
We aimed at cloning it in E. coli BL21 pLys, in a vector carrying a lac inducible T7 promoter but were not able to achieve this due to lack of time.
- ↑ Patz, S. et al. Phage tail-like particles are versatile bacterial nanomachines – A mini-review. Journal of Advanced Research vol. 19 75–84 (2019).
- ↑ Ghequire, M. G. K. & Mot, R. de. The Tailocin Tale: Peeling off Phage Tails. Trends in Microbiology 23, 587–590 (2015).
- ↑ Carim, S. et al. Systematic discovery of pseudomonad genetic factors involved in sensitivity to tailocins. ISME Journal (2021) doi:10.1038/s41396-021-00921-1.
- ↑ PHASTER. https://phaster.ca/submissions/AEAN00000000.1
- ↑ PHASTER. https://phaster.ca/submissions/AEAN00000000.1
- ↑ Baltrus, D. A., Clark, M., Smith, C. & Hockett, K. L. Localized recombination drives diversification of killing spectra for phage-derived syringacins. ISME Journal 13, 237–249 (2019).
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