A Smooth-Type, Phage-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Mutant Strain Reveals that OmpC Is Indispensable for Infection by Phage GH-K3

• DOI: 10.1128/aem.01585-18
• Publication Date: 2018-08-29T11:34:03Z
• Authors: Ruopeng Cai; Mei Wu; Hao Zhang; Yufeng Zhang; Mengjun Cheng; Zhimin Guo; Yalu Ji; Hengyu Xi; Xinwu Wang; Yibing Xue; Changjiang Sun; Xin Feng; Liancheng Lei; Yigang Tong; Xiaoyun Liu; Wenyu Han; Jingmin Gu
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Klebsiella pneumoniae; 03 medical and health sciences; Mutation; Porins; Receptors, Virus; Virus Attachment; Bacteriophages; Amino Acid Sequence; 3. Good health

With increased incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial strains, phages have regained attention as promising potential antibacterial agents. However, the rapid emergence of resistant variants during phage treatment has limited the therapeutic applications of phage. According to our trans -complementation, ompC mutation, and phage adsorption efficiency assays, we identified OmpC as the key receptor-binding protein (RBP) for phage GH-K3, which is essential for effective infection. This study revealed that the phage secondary receptor of K. pneumoniae , OmpC, is the essential RBP not only for phage infecting Gram-negative bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella , but also for K. pneumoniae .