A domesticated prophage enzyme links bacterial metabolism, episymbiosis and phage fitness.

Authors

Nusrat Nahar, Ajay Kumar, Alex S Grossman, Jeffrey S McLean, Batbileg Bor, Pu-Ting Dong, Xuesong He

Published in

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology. Oct 09, 2026. Epub Oct 09, 2026.

Abstract

Prophages are increasingly recognized as drivers of bacterial adaptation, yet how domesticated prophage genes shape microbial symbiosis remains poorly understood. Here, we identify GDPD _Xhp1 , a glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase encoded by prophage Xhp1 of Schaalia odontolytica XH001, as a metabolic regulator linking bacterial physiology, episymbiosis and phage fitness. Association with the epibiotic bacterium Nanosynbacter lyticus TM7x strongly induced gdpd _Xhp1 expression and triggered GDPD _Xhp1 -dependent lipid droplet accumulation in XH001. GDPD _Xhp1 orchestrated glycerophospholipid remodeling, membrane biophysical properties, respiration and cell-surface glycan composition in XH001, thereby promoting TM7x episymbiosis. Remarkably, GDPD _Xhp1 was also required for productive Xhp1 infection by remodeling susceptible bacterial host envelope structures to facilitate phage-host interactions. Together, our findings reveal a domesticated prophage enzyme that contributes to bacterial metabolism, interspecies symbiosis and viral reproduction, highlighting prophage as an overlooked source of metabolic innovation in microbial symbiosis.

PMID:
42926714
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 25 Oct 2026.

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