Stumbling across the Same Phage: Comparative Genomics of Widespread Temperate Phages Infecting the Fish Pathogen Vibrio anguillarum
Abstract
Nineteen Vibrio anguillarum-specific temperate bacteriophages isolated across Europe and Chile from aquaculture and environmental sites were genome sequenced and analyzed for host range, morphology and life cycle characteristics. The phages were classified as Siphoviridae with genome sizes between 46,006 and 54,201 bp. All 19 phages showed high genetic similarity, and 13 phages were genetically identical. Apart from sporadically distributed single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), genetic diversifications were located in three variable regions (VR1, VR2 and VR3) in six of the phage genomes. Identification of specific genes, such as N6-adenine methyltransferase and lambda like repressor, as well as the presence of a tRNAArg, suggested a both mutualistic and parasitic interaction between phages and hosts. During short term phage exposure experiments, 28% of a V. anguillarum host population was lysogenized by the temperate phages and a genomic analysis of a collection of 31 virulent V. anguillarum showed that the isolated phages were present as prophages in >50% of the strains covering large geographical distances. Further, phage sequences were widely distributed among CRISPR-Cas arrays of publicly available sequenced Vibrios. The ...Continue Reading
References
Phages and the evolution of bacterial pathogens: from genomic rearrangements to lysogenic conversion
Citations
Datasets Mentioned
Methods Mentioned
Software Mentioned
Related Concepts
Related Feeds
CRISPR Ribonucleases Deactivation
CRISPR-Cas system enables the editing of genes to create or correct mutations. This feed focuses on mechanisms that underlie deactivation of CRISPR ribonucleases. Here is the latest research.
Bacteriophage: Phage Therapy
Phage therapy uses bacterial viruses (bacteriophages) to treat bacterial infections and is widely being recognized as an alternative to antibiotics. Here is the latest research.
CRISPR (general)
Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are DNA sequences in the genome that are recognized and cleaved by CRISPR-associated proteins (Cas). CRISPR-Cas system enables the editing of genes to create or correct mutations. Discover the latest research on CRISPR here.