Investigating the novel Escherichia coli bacteriophage Jgk1 as a potential antimicrobial agent.

Enterobacteriaceae are significant opportunistic pathogens in the environment, impacting both biological and human health. The rise in antibiotic-resistant strains has compelled the exploration of bacteriophages as alternative biological control agents. In this study, we isolated a bacteriophage JgK1 specific to Escherichia coli from environmental samples.

Exposure to polystyrene microplastics and perfluorooctane sulfonate disrupt the homeostasis of intact planarians and the growth of regenerating planarians.

Microplastics (MPs) and perfluorinated compounds (PFAS) are widespread in the global ecosystem. MPs have the ability to adsorb organic contaminants such as perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), leading to combined effects. The current work aims to explore the individual and combined toxicological effects of polystyrene (PS) and PFOS on the growth and nerves of the freshwater planarian (Dugesia japonica).

Psychrophilic phage phiGM22-3 efficiently controls Pseudomonas fluorescens contamination in cold-stored milk.

Pseudomonas fluorescens is a common spoilage causing microbe found in milk. Antibiotic preservatives may cause emergence of multidrug resistance, posing food safety related risks to public health. Phage treatment may be used as an alternative to antibiotics in controlling P.

Multiple toxicity evaluations of perfluorooctane sulfonate on intact planarian Dugesia japonica.

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is gaining widespread attention as a persistent organic pollutant with multiple mechanisms of toxicity. In this study, PFOS at different concentrations and different exposure times was used to evaluate the multiple toxicities on intact planarian Dugesia japonica. The proliferation of neoblasts, apoptosis, DNA damage and the expression levels of neuronal genes and the major genes of the Wnt pathway were effectively studied.

Variants of a putative baseplate wedge protein extend the host range of Pseudomonas phage K8.

Background: Narrow host range is a major limitation for phage applications, but phages can evolve expanded host range through adaptations in the receptor-binding proteins.

Results: Here, we report that Pseudomonas phage K8 can evolve broader host range and higher killing efficiency at the cost of virion stability. Phage K8 host range mutant K8-T239A carries a mutant version of the putative baseplate wedge protein GP075, termed GP075m.

Regulatory protein SrpA controls phage infection and core cellular processes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind bacteria-phage interactions remains limited. Here we report that a small protein, SrpA, controls core cellular processes in response to phage infection and environmental signals in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We show that SrpA is essential for efficient genome replication of phage K5, and controls transcription by binding to a palindromic sequence upstream of the phage RNA polymerase gene.