Deciphering the interactions between the <em>Bacillus cereus</em> linear plasmid, pBClin15, and its host by high-throughput comparative proteomics

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Inglés. The pathogen, <em>Bacillus cereus</em>, is able to adapt itsmetabolismto various environmental conditions. The reference strain, <em>Bacillus cereus</em> ATCC 14579, harbors a linear plasmid, pBClin15, which displays a cryptic prophage behavior. Here, we studied the impact of pBClin15 on the aerobic respiratory metabolism of <em>B. cereus</em> by curing its host strain. We compared, by means of a high-throughput shotgun proteomic approach, both the cellular proteome and the exoproteome of <em>B. cereus</em> ATCC 14579 in the presence and absence of pBClin15 at the early, late and stationary growth phases. The results were visualized through a hierarchical cluster analysis of proteomic data. We found that pBClin15 contributes significantly to the metabolic efficiency of <em>B. cereus</em> by restricting the production of chromosome-encoded phage proteins in the extracellular milieu. The data also revealed intricate regulatory mechanisms between pBClin15 and its host. Finally, we show that pBClin15 provides benefit to its host to adapt to different ecologic niches. Biological significance: Bacteria belonging to the <em>Bacillus cereus</em> group include <em>B. cereus</em>, a notorious food borne pathogen which causes gastroenteritis. The <em>B. cereus</em> type, strain ATCC 14579, harbors a linear plasmid, pBClin15, which displays cryptic prophage behavior. Here, we present data supporting the idea that pBClin15 may have a much greater role in <em>B. cereus</em> metabolism that has hitherto been suspected. Specifically, our comparative proteomic analyses reveal that pBClin15 manages <em>B. cereus</em> central metabolism to optimize energy and carbon utilization through the repression of several chromosome-encoded phage proteins. These results suggest that pBClin15 provides benefit to the host for surviving adverse environmental conditions.