2025-10-06 トロント大学
L-R: The newly discovered LME-1 phage as seen under a transmission electron microscope, and a high-resolution image showing the detailed structure of LME-1 (images by Beth Nicholson, Justin Deme and Susan Lea)
<関連情報>
- https://www.utoronto.ca/news/u-t-researchers-discover-virus-infects-bacteria-cause-legionnaires-disease
- https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adx9722
レジオネラファージの発見は、人間の病気の重要な決定要因を説明する The discovery of a Legionella phage explains a key determinant of human disease
Beth Nicholson, José F. Santé, Elizabeth H. Chaney, Justin C. Deme, […] , and Alexander W. Ensminger
Science Advances Published:3 Sep 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adx9722
Abstract
Host cells provide intracellular bacteria with protection from harsh environmental conditions and immune responses, but for many intracellular pathogens, this protection does not appear to be absolute as once thought. Bacteriophages that can kill bacteria inside host cells have been identified for pathogens including Salmonella, Mycobacterium, and Chlamydia species. Even in pathogens for which no stable phages have been isolated, such as Legionella pneumophila, the presence of phage defense systems suggests phage susceptibility. Here, we report the stable isolation of Legionella bacteriophage LME-1 (Legionella mobile element–1) and its impact on bacterial virulence in humans. Cryo–electron microscopy of the capsid (2.1 angstroms) and portal-tail complex (1.9 angstroms) reveals an unambiguous phage particle with T7-like morphology. Characterizing the host range of this phage, we make a serendipitous finding that links the acquisition of a phage defense mechanism to the formation of a virulent clade of L. pneumophila responsible for 80% of all Legionnaires’ disease.
