Identification and Characterization of Erwinia Phage IT22: A New Bacteriophage-Based Biocontrol against Erwinia amylovora.

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Version: Final published version
License: CC BY 4.0
Serval ID
serval:BIB_0DD606476BEB
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Identification and Characterization of Erwinia Phage IT22: A New Bacteriophage-Based Biocontrol against Erwinia amylovora.
Journal
Viruses
Author(s)
Sabri M., El Handi K., Valentini F., De Stradis A., Achbani E.H., Benkirane R., Resch G., Elbeaino T.
ISSN
1999-4915 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
1999-4915
Publication state
Published
Issued date
05/11/2022
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
14
Number
11
Language
english
Notes
Publication types: Journal Article
Publication Status: epublish
Abstract
Erwinia amylovora is a quarantine phytopathogenic bacterium that is the causal agent of fire blight, a destructive disease responsible for killing millions of fruit-bearing plants worldwide, including apple, pear, quince, and raspberry. Efficient and sustainable control strategies for this serious bacterial disease are still lacking, and traditional methods are limited to the use of antibiotics and some basic agricultural practices. This study aimed to contribute to the development of a sustainable control strategy through the identification, characterization, and application of bacteriophages (phages) able to control fire blight on pears. Phages isolated from wastewater collected in the Apulia region (southern Italy) were characterized and evaluated as antibacterial agents to treat experimental fire blight caused by E. amylovora. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) conducted on purified phages (named EP-IT22 for Erwinia phage IT22) showed particles with icosahedral heads of ca. 90 ± 5 nm in length and long contractile tails of 100 ± 10 nm, typical of the Myoviridae family. Whole genome sequencing (WGS), assembly, and analysis of the phage DNA generated a single contig of 174.346 bp representing a complete circular genome composed of 310 open reading frames (ORFs). EP-IT22 was found to be 98.48% identical to the Straboviridae Erwinia phage Cronus (EPC) (GenBank Acc. n° NC_055743) at the nucleotide level. EP-IT22 was found to be resistant to high temperatures (up to 60 °C) and pH values between 4 and 11, and was able to accomplish a complete lytic cycle within one hour. Furthermore, the viability-qPCR and turbidity assays showed that EP-IT22 (MOI = 1) lysed 94% of E. amylovora cells in 20 h. The antibacterial activity of EP-IT22 in planta was evaluated in E. amylovora-inoculated pear plants that remained asymptomatic 40 days post inoculation, similarly to those treated with streptomycin sulphate. This is the first description of the morphological, biological, and molecular features of EP-IT22, highlighting its promising potential for biocontrol of E. amylovora against fire blight disease.
Keywords
Erwinia amylovora/genetics, Bacteriophages/genetics, Plant Diseases/prevention & control, Plant Diseases/microbiology, Myoviridae/genetics, Malus, E. amylovora, bacteriophage, biocontrol, fire blight, phytopathogenic bacterium
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
15/03/2023 17:44
Last modification date
07/10/2023 7:08
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