The effects of bacteriophages on the expression of genes involved in antimicrobial immunity

Abstract

Bacteriophages (viruses of bacteria) are used in the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections. Moreover, they are an important component of the mucosal microbiota. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of T4 and A5/80 bacteriophages on the expression of genes involved in antimicrobial immunity, including Toll-like receptors. The expression of genes was determined in the A549 cell line using RT2 Profiler PCR Array. Purified T4 and A5/80 phage preparations significantly affected the expression of 7 and 10 out of 84 examined genes, respectively. Our results are important for phage therapy of bacterial infections and provide novel insights into the role of phages from the mucosal microbiota. They may also lead to novel applications of phages as antiviral and immunomodulatory agents.