In this project we will elucidate the role of m⁶A-RNA methylation in phage replication in the marine bacterium Vibrio campbellii ATCC BAA-116 (formerly V. harveyi BB120), a model organism for quorum sensing. In our preliminary work we have been able to show that V. campbellii contains four prophages, and oxidative stress initiates the lytic cycle. We will explore how m⁶A-RNA modification affects phage lysis and lysogeny in a population. We will investigate the influence of m⁶A-RNA methylation on the decision of single cells to activate prophages or to resist lytic phages. Furthermore, we will test how phage infection affects the m⁶A-RNA pattern of this bacterium.
The project addresses a thus far unexplored regulatory level, the translational level, in the bacteriophage replication cycle. We expect to gain new insights into the phage-bacteria interaction in general and specifically into the fine-tuning of the decision making of individual cells.