Ford, S., Moeskjær, S., Young, P. et al. (2 more authors) (2021) Introducing a novel, broad host range temperate phage family infecting Rhizobium leguminosarum and beyond. Frontiers in Microbiology, 12 (11). 765271. ISSN 1664-302X
Abstract
Temperate phages play important roles in bacterial communities but have been largely overlooked, particularly in non-pathogenic bacteria. In rhizobia the presence of temperate phages has the potential to have significant ecological impacts but few examples have been described. Here we characterize a novel group of 5 Rhizobium leguminosarum prophages, capable of sustaining infections across a broad host range within their host genus. Genome comparisons identified further putative prophages infecting multiple Rhizobium species isolated globally, revealing a wider family of 10 temperate phages including one previously described lytic phage, RHEph01, which appears to have lost the ability to form lysogens. Phylogenetic discordance between prophage and host phylogenies suggests a history of active mobilization between Rhizobium lineages. Genome comparisons revealed conservation of gene content and order, with the notable exception of an approximately 5 kb region of hypervariability, containing almost exclusively hypothetical genes. Additionally, several horizontally acquired genes are present across the group, including a putative antirepressor present only in the RHEph01 genome, which may explain its apparent inability to form lysogens. In summary, both phenotypic and genomic comparisons between members of this group of phages reveals a clade of viruses with a long history of mobilization within and between Rhizobium species.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 Ford, Moeskjær, Young, Santamaría and Harrison. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
Keywords: | prophage; temperate phage; rhizobia; phage ecology; phage evolution |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Biosciences (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number NATURAL ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH COUNCIL NE/P017584/1 BIOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL BB/R014884/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 06 Dec 2021 10:47 |
Last Modified: | 10 Feb 2023 14:12 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Frontiers Media SA |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.3389/fmicb.2021.765271 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:181212 |