Researchers from the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG have published a paper that sheds new light on how bacteria interact with each other in the natural environment. The article, authored by prof. Robert Czajkowski's team, appeared in the prestigious journal ISME Communications, one of the leading international periodicals devoted to the ecology of microorganisms.
The research was conducted by scientists from the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology UG and MUG, in collaboration with foreign partners from the Université de Lyon 1 in France.
The authors of the publication entitled ‘Beyond kin killing: Dickeya-derived phage-tail-like bacteriocin P2D1 targets phylogenetically distant Pseudomonas spp.’ are: Marcin Borowicz, Jan Styn, Kacper Tomasik, Łukasz Rąbalski, Magdalena Narajczyk, Erwan Gueguen, Sylwia Jafra, Julie Baltenneck, Dorota M. Krzyżanowska and Robert Czajkowski. Dorota M. Krzyżanowska and Robert Czajkowski served as corresponding authors.
‘The publication concerns tailocins - protein structures resembling bacteriophage tails, which bacteria use to eliminate competitors. Until now, it was believed that tailocins act mainly against closely related bacterial strains, i.e. within the ‘family’. We have shown that tailocin P2D1 produced by the bacterium Dickeya dadantii can also effectively affect phylogenetically distant Pseudomonas strains. This means that the ecological impact of these structures is much broader than previously assumed,’ says prof. Robert Czajkowski.
An important discovery for environmental microbiology
The results suggest that tailocins can influence the formation of entire communities of microorganisms, even between different taxonomic groups. ‘This is an important discovery for environmental microbiology because it shows that microorganisms have tools that allow them to compete “at a distance” and not just in their immediate environment,’ explains prof. Robert Czajkowski, adding that the role of these mechanisms in natural conditions (in vivo) requires further research.
At the same time, the team leader points out that IFB UG and MUG students Jan Styn and Kacper Tomasik also made a significant contribution to the research. Continuing their Individual Laboratory work, they took the initiative to engage in further research. Their involvement contributed significantly to the creation of this publication.
Responsible for significant losses in agriculture
Dickeya dadantii is a pathogenic bacterium that attacks crops such as potatoes, carrots and onions. Simply put, this bacterium ‘dissolves’ plants from the inside, causing them to rot, soften and break down.
This bacterium spreads easily, causes significant losses in agriculture and storage, and is difficult to control chemically. The team led by prof. Robert Czajkowski is looking for a biological method that will prove effective and stop the spread of Dickeya dadantii.
Prestigious publication
ISME Communications is one of the leading international journals devoted to the ecology of microorganisms. Journal Impact Factor = 6.1. In the Web of Science ranking, it ranks 18th out of 200 in the Ecology category and 20th out of 163 in the Microbiology category.
The research was funded by the National Science Centre as part of the SONATA BIS 10 project (2020/38/E/NZ9/00007), led by prof. Robert Czajkowski.
