Functional amyloid proteins confer defence against predatory bacteria

Hannah E. Ledvina, Ryan Sayegh, Ricardo O. Carale, A. Maxwell Burroughs, Alexa R. Macklin, Ashley L. Azadeh, Layla D. Borja Najera, L. Aravind and Aaron T. Whiteley ()
Additional contact information
Hannah E. Ledvina: University of Colorado Boulder
Ryan Sayegh: University of Colorado Boulder
Ricardo O. Carale: University of Colorado Boulder
A. Maxwell Burroughs: National Institutes of Health
Alexa R. Macklin: University of Colorado Boulder
Ashley L. Azadeh: University of Colorado Boulder
Layla D. Borja Najera: University of Colorado Boulder
L. Aravind: National Institutes of Health
Aaron T. Whiteley: University of Colorado Boulder

Nature, 2025, vol. 644, issue 8075, 197-204

Abstract: Abstract Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus is a predatory bacterium that non-selectively preys on Gram-negative bacteria by invading the prey-cell periplasm, leaching host nutrients and ultimately lysing the infected cell to exit and find a new host1,2. The predatory life cycle of B. bacteriovorus is, in many ways, comparable to a bacteriophage. However, unlike phage defence, defence against B. bacteriovorus has not been widely investigated. Here we screened a collection of diverse Escherichia coli strains for resistance to B. bacteriovorus and identified that roughly one-third of strains robustly defended against predation by producing curli fibres. Curli fibres are oligomers of the functional amyloid protein CsgA, which is exceptionally durable3. Using genetics and microscopy, we demonstrate that curli fibres provide a barrier that protects susceptible cells independent of genes required for biofilm formation. This barrier further protected E. coli against attack by the predatory bacterium Myxococcus xanthus and select phages. Bioinformatic analysis of bacterial amyloids showed these systems are diverse and widespread in diderm bacteria (those with both inner and outer membranes). One of these, an evolutionarily distinct amyloid encoded by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, also protected against B. bacteriovorus. This work establishes that functional amyloids defend bacteria against a wide range of threats.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09204-7 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:nature:v:644:y:2025:i:8075:d:10.1038_s41586-025-09204-7

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09204-7

Access Statistics for this article

Nature is currently edited by Magdalena Skipper

More articles in Nature from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().