Host Cyanobacteria Killing by Novel Lytic Cyanophage YongM: A Protein Profiling Analysis

Cyanobacteria are autotrophic prokaryotes that can proliferate robustly in eutrophic waters through photosynthesis. This can lead to outbreaks of lake “water blooms”, which result in water quality reduction and environmental pollution that seriously affect fisheries and aquaculture. The use of cyanophages to control the growth of cyanobacteria is an important strategy to tackle annual cyanobacterial blooms. YongM is a novel lytic cyanophage with a broad host spectrum and high efficiency in killing its host, cyanobacteria FACHB-596. However, changes in cyanophage protein profile during infestation and killing of the host remains unknown. To characterize the proteins and its regulation networks involved in the killing of host cyanobacteria by YongM and evaluate whether this strain YongM could be used as a chassis for further engineering to be a powerful tool in dealing with cyanobacterial blooms, we herein applied 4D label-free high-throughput quantitative proteomics to analyze differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) involved in cyanobacteria host response infected 1 and 8 h with YongM cyanophage. Metabolic pathways, such as photosynthesis, photosynthesis-antennal protein, oxidative phosphorylation, ribosome, carbon fixation, and glycolysis/glycol-isomerization were significantly altered in the infested host, whereas DEPs were associated with the metabolic processes of photosynthesis, precursor metabolites, energy production, and organic nitrogen compounds. Among these DEPs, key proteins involved in YongM-host interaction may be photosystem I P700 chlorophyll-a apolipoprotein, carbon dioxide concentration mechanism protein, cytochrome B, and some YongM infection lysis-related enzymes. Our results provide comprehensive information of protein profiles during the invasion and killing of host cyanobacteria by its cyanophage, which may shed light on future design and manipulation of artificial cyanophages against water blooms.