Přehled o publikaci

The treatment of infections caused by human and veterinary pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is becoming worldwide healthcare concern due to the increasing resistance of the bacterium to antibiotics. A promising alternative to currently used drugs is represented by lytic phages from genus Kayvirus. However, the implementation of rational phage therapy into medicine requires to understand the interactions between bacteriophages and pathogens. To address this issue, we analysed RNA seqeuncing data of two Staphylococcus aureus strains infected by type phage K of the Kayvirus genus K with potential in phage therapy. The temporal transcriptional profile of phage K was similar in both analysed strains except for a few genes. Analysis of the RNA-Seq data also revealed antisense transcription and transcription from non-coding DNA with potential role in the regulation of phage and host gene expression. The transcription response of S. aureus to phage K infection firstly corresponded to a general response to stress and DNA damage1. Bacterial differentially expressed genes were involved in nucleotide biosynthesis, amino acid and energy metabolism and cell wall synthesis genes. Furthermore, we detected during the late phase of phage K infection slightly increased transcription of staphylococcal virulence genes functioning in adhesion and immune system evasion. Our results clarify the global transcriptional interaction between phage and bacterial host, which will ensure safer usage of phage therapeutics and may also serve as a basis for development of new antibacterial strategies.