The Prophages of Citrobacter rodentium Represent a Conserved Family of Horizontally Acquired Mobile Genetic Elements Associated with Enteric Evolution towards Pathogenicity

Prophage-mediated horizontal gene transfer (HGT) plays a key role in the evolution of bacteria, enabling access to new environmental niches, including pathogenicity. Citrobacter rodentium is a host-adapted intestinal mouse pathogen and important model organism for attaching and effacing (A/E) pathogens, including the clinically significant enterohaemorrhagic and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EHEC and EPEC, respectively). Even though C. rodentium contains 10 prophage genomic regions, including an active temperate phage, ΦNP, little was known regarding the nature of C. rodentium prophages in the bacterium’s evolution toward pathogenicity. In this study, our characterization of ΦNP led to the discovery of a second, fully functional temperate phage, named ΦSM. We identify the bacterial host receptor for both phages as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). ΦNP and ΦSM are likely important mediators of HGT in C. rodentium. Bioinformatic analysis of the 10 prophage regions reveals cargo genes encoding known virulence factors, including several type III secretion system (T3SS) effectors. C. rodentium prophages are conserved across a wide range of pathogenic enteric bacteria, including EPEC and EHEC as well as pathogenic strains of Salmonella enterica, Shigella boydii, and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Phylogenetic analysis of core enteric backbone genes compared against prophage evolutionary models suggests that these prophages represent an important, conserved family of horizontally acquired enteric-bacterium-associated pathogenicity determinants. In addition to highlighting the transformative role of bacteriophage-mediated HGT in C. rodentium’s evolution toward pathogenicity, these data suggest that the examination of conserved families of prophages in other pathogenic bacteria and disease outbreaks might provide deeper evolutionary and pathological insights otherwise obscured by more classical analysis. IMPORTANCE Bacteriophages are obligate intracellular parasites of bacteria. Some bacteriophages can confer novel bacterial phenotypes, including pathogenicity, through horizontal gene transfer (HGT). The pathogenic bacterium Citrobacter rodentium infects mice using mechanisms similar to those employed by human gastrointestinal pathogens, making it an important model organism. Here, we examined the 10 prophages of C. rodentium, investigating their roles in its evolution toward virulence. We characterized ΦNP and ΦSM, two endogenous active temperate bacteriophages likely important for HGT. We showed that the 10 prophages encode predicted virulence factors and are conserved within other intestinal pathogens. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that they represent a conserved family of horizontally acquired enteric-bacterium-associated pathogenic determinants. Consequently, similar analysis of prophage elements in other pathogens might further understanding of their evolution and pathology.