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Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins
Published on: June 11, 2015
Evolution of P2-like phages and their impact on bacterial evolution
Anders S Nilsson1, Elisabeth Haggård-Ljungquist
1Department of Genetics, Microbiology, and Toxicology, University of Stockholm, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden. anders.nilsson@gmt.su.se
Research in Microbiology
|May 11, 2007
Summary
P2-like phages infecting Escherichia coli and other bacteria show conserved structural genes but variable regulatory genes. This suggests a coevolutionary relationship between these phages and their bacterial hosts.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Virology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- P2-like phages are bacteriophages that infect various bacterial species.
- Understanding phage-host interactions is crucial for microbial ecology and evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary patterns of P2-like phages.
- To determine the extent of genetic variation in P2-like phages across different hosts.
- To explore the potential coevolution between P2-like phages and their hosts.
Main Methods:
- Comparative genomic analysis of P2-like phage isolates.
- Examination of structural and regulatory gene sequences.
- Analysis of host integration sites.
Main Results:
- Structural genes of P2-like phages infecting Escherichia coli are highly conserved.
- Regulatory genes and host integration sites exhibit greater variability within Escherichia coli isolates.
- P2-like phages infecting other gamma-proteobacteria show broader variation, with structural genes mirroring host bacterial evolution.
Conclusions:
- P2-like phages and their bacterial hosts, including Escherichia coli, appear to be coevolving.
- Host-specific adaptations likely drive the evolution of phage regulatory elements and integration sites.
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