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Function, expression, specificity, diversity and incompatibility of actinobacteriophage parABS systems
Author(s) -
Dedrick Rebekah M.,
Mavrich Travis N.,
Ng Wei L.,
Cervantes Reyes Juan C.,
Olm Matthew R.,
Rush Rachael E.,
JacobsSera Deborah,
Russell Daniel A.,
Hatfull Graham F.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/mmi.13414
Subject(s) - biology , prophage , genetics , temperateness , lysogen , lysogenic cycle , gene , recombinase , genome , plasmid , bacteriophage , escherichia coli , recombination
Summary More than 180 individual phages infecting hosts in the phylum Actinobacteria have been sequenced and grouped into Cluster A because of their similar overall nucleotide sequences and genome architectures. These Cluster A phages are either temperate or derivatives of temperate parents, and most have an integration cassette near the centre of the genome containing an integrase gene and attP . However, about 20% of the phages lack an integration cassette, which is replaced by a 1.4 kbp segment with predicted partitioning functions, including plasmid‐like parA and parB genes. Phage RedRock forms stable lysogens in Mycobacterium smegmatis in which the prophage replicates at 2.4 copies/chromosome and the partitioning system confers prophage maintenance. The parAB genes are expressed upon RedRock infection of M. smegmatis , but are downregulated once lysogeny is established by binding of RedRock ParB to parS‐L , one of two centromere‐like sites flanking the parAB genes. The RedRock parS‐L and parS‐R sites are composed of eight directly repeated copies of an 8 bp motif that is recognized by ParB. The actinobacteriophage parABS cassettes span considerable sequence diversity and specificity, providing a suite of tools for use in mycobacterial genetics.