SPP 2330

GROUP BROCHADO / Project GO 3161/3-1

Molecular mechanisms of phage-antibiotic interactions and their interplay with CBASS phage defense systems

Bacteriophage-antibiotic combinational treatment is a promising strategy to counter the surge of non-treatable antimicrobial resistant pathogens, and it has been successfully employed in a few critical cases. However, rational design of phage-antibiotic combinations is hindered by the limited knowledge of their underlying mechanisms. The cellular impact of antibiotics and phages alone is highly complex, and often not well understood. This is even more so for phage-antibiotic combinations, which are largely uncharacterized, and might involve molecular mechanisms beyond the regular drug and phage targeted processes. This project deploys an innovative systems biology approach to uncover the molecular underpinnings of phage-antibiotic interactions, and its interplay with the novel phage defense system CBASS.

Principal Investigator(s)

Assistant Prof. Dr. Ana Rita Brochado

Excellence Cluster ‘Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections’ (CMFI)
Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology & Infection Medicine Tübingen (IMIT)
Eberhard Karls University Tübingen

E-Mail: ana.brochado@uni-tuebingen.de
Homepage: https://www.brochadolab.com

PhD student(s)

TBA

Publications

  • Brenzinger S, Airoldi M, Ogunleye AJ, Jugovic K, Amstalden MK and Brochado AR (2024) The Vibrio cholerae CBASS phage defense system modulates resistance and killing by antifolate antibiotics. Nature Microbiology 9, 251–262. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01556-y

  • Brochado AR, Telzerow A, Bobonis J, Banzhaf M, Mateus A, Selkrig J, Huth E, Bassler S, Zamarreño Beas J, Zietek M, Ng N, Foerster S, Ezraty B, Py B, Barras F, Savitski MM, Bork P, Göttig S and Typas A (2018) Species-specific activity of antibacterial drug combinations. Nature 559:259–263. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0278-9