@misc{BroekerKieleCasjensetal.2018,
  author    = {Broeker, Nina K. and Kiele, Franziska and Casjens, Sherwood R. and Gilcrease, Eddie B. and Thalhammer, Anja and Koetz, Joachim},
  title     = {In Vitro Studies of Lipopolysaccharide-Mediated DNA Release of Podovirus HK620},
  series = {Viruses},
  journal   = {Viruses},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-417493},
  pages     = {15},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Gram-negative bacteria protect themselves with an outermost layer containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS). O-antigen-specific bacteriophages use tailspike proteins (TSP) to recognize and cleave the O-polysaccharide part of LPS. However, O-antigen composition and structure can be highly variable depending on the environmental conditions. It is important to understand how these changes may influence the early steps of the bacteriophage infection cycle because they can be linked to changes in host range or the occurrence of phage resistance. In this work, we have analyzed how LPS preparations in vitro trigger particle opening and DNA ejection from the E. coli podovirus HK620. Fluorescence-based monitoring of DNA release showed that HK620 phage particles in vitro ejected their genome at velocities comparable to those found for other podoviruses. Moreover, we found that HK620 irreversibly adsorbed to the LPS receptor via its TSP at restrictive low temperatures, without opening the particle but could eject its DNA at permissive temperatures. DNA ejection was solely stimulated by LPS, however, the composition of the O-antigen dictated whether the LPS receptor could start the DNA release from E. coli phage HK620 in vitro. This finding can be significant when optimizing bacteriophage mixtures for therapy, where in natural environments O-antigen structures may rapidly change.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BroekerKieleCasjensetal.2018,
  author    = {Broeker, Nina K. and Kiele, Franziska and Casjens, Sherwood R. and Gilcrease, Eddie B. and Thalhammer, Anja and Koetz, Joachim},
  title     = {In Vitro Studies of Lipopolysaccharide-Mediated DNA Release of Podovirus HK620},
  series = {Viruses},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {Viruses},
  number    = {6},
  publisher = {Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)},
  address   = {Basel},
  issn      = {1999-4915},
  doi       = {10.3390/v10060289},
  pages     = {1 -- 15},
  year      = {2018},
  abstract  = {Gram-negative bacteria protect themselves with an outermost layer containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS). O-antigen-specific bacteriophages use tailspike proteins (TSP) to recognize and cleave the O-polysaccharide part of LPS. However, O-antigen composition and structure can be highly variable depending on the environmental conditions. It is important to understand how these changes may influence the early steps of the bacteriophage infection cycle because they can be linked to changes in host range or the occurrence of phage resistance. In this work, we have analyzed how LPS preparations in vitro trigger particle opening and DNA ejection from the E. coli podovirus HK620. Fluorescence-based monitoring of DNA release showed that HK620 phage particles in vitro ejected their genome at velocities comparable to those found for other podoviruses. Moreover, we found that HK620 irreversibly adsorbed to the LPS receptor via its TSP at restrictive low temperatures, without opening the particle but could eject its DNA at permissive temperatures. DNA ejection was solely stimulated by LPS, however, the composition of the O-antigen dictated whether the LPS receptor could start the DNA release from E. coli phage HK620 in vitro. This finding can be significant when optimizing bacteriophage mixtures for therapy, where in natural environments O-antigen structures may rapidly change.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Schmidt2015,
  author    = {Schmidt, Andreas},
  title     = {Charakterisierung der Lipopolysaccharid-Bindungseigenschaften von Adh{\"a}sionsproteinen aus Salmonella-Bakteriophagen},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-79529},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {VIII, 114},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Die Interaktionen von komplexen Kohlenhydraten und Proteinen sind ubiquit{\"a}r. Sie spielen wichtige Rollen in vielen physiologischen Prozessen wie Zelladh{\"a}sion, Signaltransduktion sowie bei viralen Infektionen. Die molekularen Grundlagen der Interaktion sind noch nicht komplett verstanden. Ein Modellsystem f{\"u}r Kohlenhydrat-Protein-Interaktionen besteht aus Adh{\"a}sionsproteinen (Tailspikes) von Bakteriophagen, die komplexe Kohlenhydrate auf bakteriellen Oberfl{\"a}chen (O-Antigen) erkennen. Das Tailspike-Protein (TSP), das in dieser Arbeit betrachtet wurde, stammt aus dem Bakteriophagen 9NA (9NATSP). 9NATSP weist eine hohe strukturelle Homologie zum gut charakterisierten TSP des Phagen P22 (P22TSP) auf, bei einer niedriger sequenzieller {\"A}hnlichkeit. Die Substratspezifit{\"a}ten beider Tailspikes sind {\"a}hnlich mit Ausnahme der Toleranz gegen{\"u}ber den glucosylierten Formen des O-Antigens. Die Struktur der beiden Tailspikes ist bekannt, sodass sie ein geeignetes System f{\"u}r vergleichende Bindungsstudien darstellen, um die strukturellen Grundlagen f{\"u}r die Unterschiede der Spezifit{\"a}t zu untersuchen. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde der ELISA-like tailspike adsorption assay (ELITA) etabliert, um Binderpaare aus TSPs und O-Antigen zu identifizieren. Dabei wurden 9NATSP und P22TSP als Sonden eingesetzt, deren Bindung an die intakten, an die Mikrotiterplatte adsorbierten Bakterien getestet wurde. Beim Test einer Sammlung aus 44 Salmonella-St{\"a}mmen wurden St{\"a}mme identifiziert, die bindendes O-Antigen exprimieren. Gleichzeitig wurden Unterschiede in der Bindung der beiden TSPs an Salmonella-St{\"a}mme mit gleichem O-Serotyp beobachtet. Die Ergebnisse der ELITA-Messung wurden qualitativ durch eine FACS-basierte Bindungsmessung best{\"a}tigt. Zus{\"a}tzlich erm{\"o}glichte die FACS-Messung bei St{\"a}mmen, die teilweise modifizierte O-Antigene herstellen, den Anteil an Zellen mit und ohne Modifikation zu erfassen. Die Oberfl{\"a}chenplasmonresonanz (SPR)-basierten Interaktionsmessungen wurden eingesetzt, um Bindungsaffinit{\"a}ten f{\"u}r eine TSP-O-Antigen Kombination zu quantifizieren. Daf{\"u}r wurden zwei Methoden getestet, um die Oligosaccharide auf einem SPR-Chip zu immobilisieren. Zum einen wurden die enzymatisch hergestellten O-Antigenfragmente mit einem bifunktionalen Oxaminadapter derivatisiert, der eine prim{\"a}re Aminogruppe f{\"u}r die Immobilisierung bereitstellt. Ein Versuch, diese Oligosaccharidfragmente zu immobilisieren, war jedoch nicht erfolgreich. Dagegen wurde das nicht derivatisierte Polysaccharid, bestehend aus repetitivem O-Antigen und einem konservierten Kernsaccharid, erfolgreich auf einem SPR-Chip immobilisiert. Die Immobilisierung wurde durch Interaktionsmessungen mit P22TSP best{\"a}tigt. Durch die Immobilisierung des Polysaccharids sind somit quantitative SPR-Bindungsmessungen mit einem polydispersen Interaktionspartner m{\"o}glich. Eine Auswahl von Salmonella-St{\"a}mmen mit einer ausgepr{\"a}gt unterschiedlichen Bindung von 9NATSP und P22TSP im ELITA-Testsystem wurde hinsichtlich der Zusammensetzung des O-Antigens mittels HPLC, Kapillargelelektrophorese und MALDI-MS analysiert. Dabei wurden nicht-st{\"o}chiometrische Modifikationen der O-Antigene wie Acetylierung und Glucosylierung detektiert. Das Ausmaß der Glucosylierung korrelierte negativ mit der Effizienz der Bindung und des Verdaus durch die beiden TSPs, wobei der negative Effekt bei 9NATSP weniger stark ausgepr{\"a}gt war als bei P22TSP. Dies stimmt mit den Literaturdaten zu Infektivit{\"a}tsstudien mit 9NA und P22 {\"u}berein, die mit St{\"a}mmen mit vergleichbaren O-Antigenvarianten durchgef{\"u}hrt wurden. Die Korrelation zwischen der Glucosylierung und Bindungseffizienz konnte strukturell interpretiert werden. Auf Grundlage der O-Antigenanalysen sowie der Ergebnisse der ELITA- und FACS-Bindungstests wurden die Salmonella-St{\"a}mme Brancaster und Kalamu identifiziert, die ann{\"a}hernd quantitativ glucosyliertes O-Antigen exprimieren. Damit eignen sich diese St{\"a}mme f{\"u}r weiterf{\"u}hrende Studien, um die Zusammenh{\"a}nge zwischen der Spezifit{\"a}t und der Organisation der Bindestellen der beiden TSPs zu untersuchen.},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Stephan2023,
  author    = {Stephan, Mareike Sophia},
  title     = {A bacterial mimetic system to study bacterial inactivation and infection},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {150},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {The emerging threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has become a global challenge in the last decades, leading to a rising demand for alternative treatments for bacterial infections. One approach is to target the bacterial cell envelope, making understanding its biophysical properties crucial. Specifically, bacteriophages use the bacterial envelope as an entry point to initiate infection, and they are considered important building blocks of new antibiotic strategies against drug-resistant bacteria.. Depending on the structure of the cell wall, bacteria are classified as Gram-negative and Gram-positive. Gram-negative bacteria are equipped with a complex cell envelope composed of two lipid membranes enclosing a rigid peptidoglycan layer. The synthesis machinery of the Gram-negative cell envelope is the target of antimicrobial agents, including new physical sanitizing procedures addressing the outer membrane (OM). It is therefore very important to study the biophysical properties of the Gram-negative bacterial cell envelope. The high complexity of the Gram-negative OM sets the demand for a model system in which the contribution of individual components can be evaluated separately. In this respect, giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are promising membrane systems to study membrane properties while controlling parameters such as membrane composition and surrounding medium conditions. The aim of this work was to develop methods and approaches for the preparation and characterization of a GUV-based membrane model that mimics the OM of the Gram-negative cell envelope. A major component of the OM is the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the outside of the OM heterobilayer. The vesicle model was designed to contain LPS in the outer leaflet and lipids in the inner leaflet. Furthermore, the interaction of the prepared LPS-GUVs with bacteriophages was tested. LPS containing GUVs were prepared by adapting the inverted emulsion technique to meet the challenging properties of LPS, namely their high self-aggregation rate in aqueous solutions. Notably, an additional emulsification step together with the adaption of solution conditions was employed to asymmetrically incorporate LPS containing long polysaccharide chains into the artificial membranes. GUV membrane asymmetry was verified with a fluorescence quenching assay. Since the necessary precautions for handling the quenching agent sodium dithionite are often underestimated and poorly described, important parameters were tested and identified to obtain a stable and reproducible assay. In the context of varied LPS incorporation, a microscopy-based technique was introduced to determine the LPS content on individual GUVs and to directly compare vesicle properties and LPS coverage. Diffusion coefficient measurements in the obtained GUVs showed that increasing LPS concentrations in the membranes resulted in decreased diffusivity. Employing LPS-GUVs we could demonstrate that a Salmonella bacteriophage bound with high specificity to its LPS receptor when presented at the GUV surface, and that the number of bound bacteriophages scaled with the amount of presented LPS receptor. In addition to binding, the bacteriophages were able to eject their DNA into the vesicle lumen. LPS-GUVs thus provide a starting platform for bottom-up approaches for the generation of more complex membranes, in which the effects of individual components on the membrane properties and the interaction with antimicrobial agents such as bacteriophages could be explored.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{StephanBroekerSaragliadisetal.2020,
  author    = {Stephan, Mareike Sophia and Br{\"o}ker, Nina K. and Saragliadis, Athanasios and Roos, Norbert and Linke, Dirk and Barbirz, Stefanie},
  title     = {In vitro analysis of O-antigen-specific bacteriophage P22 inactivation by Salmonella outer membrane vesicles},
  series = {Frontiers in microbiology},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Frontiers in microbiology},
  publisher = {Frontiers Media},
  address   = {Lausanne},
  issn      = {1664-302X},
  doi       = {10.3389/fmicb.2020.510638},
  pages     = {12},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Bacteriophages use a large number of different bacterial cell envelope structures as receptors for surface attachment. As a consequence, bacterial surfaces represent a major control point for the defense against phage attack. One strategy for phage population control is the production of outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). In Gram-negative host bacteria, O-antigen-specific bacteriophages address lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to initiate infection, thus relying on an essential outer membrane glycan building block as receptor that is constantly present also in OMVs. In this work, we have analyzed interactions ofSalmonella(S.) bacteriophage P22 with OMVs. For this, we isolated OMVs that were formed in large amounts during mechanical cell lysis of the P22 S. Typhimurium host.In vitro, these OMVs could efficiently reduce the number of infective phage particles. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that upon interaction with OMVs, bacteriophage P22 released its DNA into the vesicle lumen. However, only about one third of the phage P22 particles actively ejected their genome. For the larger part, no genome release was observed, albeit the majority of phages in the system had lost infectivity towards their host. With OMVs, P22 ejected its DNA more rapidly and could release more DNA against elevated osmotic pressures compared to DNA release triggered with protein-free LPS aggregates. This emphasizes that OMV composition is a key feature for the regulation of infective bacteriophage particles in the system.},
  language  = {en}
}