Quorum sensing inhibits phage infection by regulating biofilm formation of PAO1.

UNLABELLED

Quorum sensing (QS) can regulate diverse critical phenotypic responses in (), enabling bacterial adaptation to external environmental fluctuations and optimizing population advantages. While there is emerging evidence of QS's involvement in influencing phage infections, our current understanding remains limited, necessitating further investigation. In this study, we isolated and characterized a novel phage designated as BUCT640 that infected PAO1. This phage belonged to class , genus , with a podovirus morphology, and its adsorption was dependent on Psl polysaccharides, a repeating pentamer used to support biofilm structure. Leveraging phage BUCT640 as a model, we analyzed the role of both QS and QS in bacteria-phage interactions. Based on its distinctive plaque formation performances on different QS-related mutants, we investigated the variations of phage sensitivity to these strains and ultimately elucidated the mechanism underlying how QS inhibited phage infection to PAO1. Specifically, we unveiled that the QS could inhibit phage adsorption, which is related to the thickness change caused by biofilm differentiation. Our findings suggest that the inhibition of QS may enhance phage infectivity, potentially facilitating advanced phage therapy combined with QS interference.

IMPORTANCE

Phage therapy is a powerful solution to combat drug-resistant pathogenic bacterial infections and has earned remarkable success in clinical treatment. However, recent insights underscore the potential impact of bacterial QS on phage infection dynamics. Here, we reported a unique phenomenon wherein QS, particularly in the QS pathway, showed distinctive plaque formation behaviors by enlarging halos around plaques in mutant strains. In addition to this, we first elucidated the correlation between biofilm formation and phage infection. Notably, the QS could inhibit phage adsorption, an effect closely related to biofilm thickness. Such research could be the evidence to steer bacterial QS toward favorable therapeutical outcomes. Therefore, our work can extend the comprehension of the interactions between bacteria and phages influenced by QS, thereby providing new perspectives on leveraging QS interference to enhance the efficacy of phage therapy for clinical applications.