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Contrasting genomic patterns and infection strategies of two co‐existing B acteroidetes podovirus genera
Author(s) -
Holmfeldt Karin,
HowardVarona Cristina,
Solonenko Natalie,
Sullivan Matthew B.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
environmental microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.954
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1462-2920
pISSN - 1462-2912
DOI - 10.1111/1462-2920.12391
Subject(s) - biology , lytic cycle , lysogenic cycle , host (biology) , generalist and specialist species , bacteriophage , genome , evolutionary biology , human virome , genetics , gene , ecology , virus , escherichia coli , habitat
Summary Bacterial viruses (phages) are abundant, ecologically important biological entities. However, our understanding of their impact is limited by model systems that are primarily not well represented in nature, e.g. E nterophages and their hosts. Here, we investigate genomic characteristics and infection strategies among six aquatic B acteroidetes phages that represent two genera of exceptionally large (∼70–75 kb genome) podoviruses, which were isolated from the same seawater sample using C ellulophaga baltica as host. Quantitative host range studies reveal that these genera have contrasting narrow (specialist) and broad (generalist) host ranges, with one‐step growth curves revealing reduced burst sizes for the generalist phages. Genomic comparisons suggest candidate genes in each genus that might explain this host range variation, as well as provide hypotheses about receptors in the hosts. One generalist phage, φ38:1, was more deeply characterized, as its infection strategy switched from lytic on its original host to either inefficient lytic or lysogenic on an alternative host. If lysogenic, this phage was maintained extrachromosomally in the alternative host and could not be induced by mitomycin C . This work provides fundamental knowledge regarding phage‐host ranges and their genomic drivers while also exploring the ‘host environment’ as a driver for switching phage replication mode.