Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

DNA Bacteriophages01:26

DNA Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacteria, utilizing their genetic material to hijack host cellular machinery for replication. DNA bacteriophages employ single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) or double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genomes. These phages exhibit diverse replication strategies and host interactions, influencing their ecological roles and applications in biotechnology and medicine.ssDNA BacteriophagesssDNA phages, with their small genomes, utilize unique strategies to...
Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages01:30

Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages

Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are specialized viruses that infect bacteria. A key characteristic of phages is their distinctive “head-tail” morphology. A phage begins the infection process (i.e., lytic cycle) by attaching to the outside of a bacterial cell. Attachment is accomplished via proteins in the phage tail that bind to specific receptor proteins on the outer surface of the bacterium. The tail injects the phage’s DNA genome into the bacterial cytoplasm. In the lytic replication...
Bacteriophages of the Human Virome01:23

Bacteriophages of the Human Virome

Bacteriophages are found throughout the human body. They may even outnumber eukaryotic viruses, forming an important and dynamic component of the human virome. Indeed, phages represent the most abundant viral entities, with densities in the gut reaching up to 10⁹ particles per gram of fecal matter, and many belonging to orders such as Caudovirales and Microviridae, while a substantial proportion remains unclassified as viral “dark matter.”Lysogeny and Genetic ExchangeIn the gut, bacteriophages...
Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages00:43

Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages

In contrast to the lytic cycle, phages infecting bacteria via the lysogenic cycle do not immediately kill their host cell. Instead, they combine their genome with the host genome, allowing the bacteria to replicate the phage DNA along with the bacterial genome. The incorporated copy of the phage genome is called the prophage. Some prophages can re-activate and enter the lytic cycle. This often occurs in response to a perturbation, such as DNA damage, but can also transpire in the absence of...
Viral Replication: Lytic Cycle01:20

Viral Replication: Lytic Cycle

Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacteria. Among them, T-even bacteriophages, such as T4, exhibit a well-characterized lytic replication cycle in Escherichia coli (E. coli). This process ensures the rapid proliferation of the virus while ultimately leading to the destruction of the bacterial host.Attachment and DNA InjectionThe infection process begins with the recognition and binding of the T4 phage to the E. coli cell surface. Tail fibers of the phage...
Viral Replication: Lysogenic Cycle01:16

Viral Replication: Lysogenic Cycle

The lysogenic cycle is a crucial viral replication strategy that allows bacteriophages to persist within host cells without immediately destroying them. This process is primarily observed in temperate phages, such as bacteriophage lambda (λ), which infects Escherichia coli. The cycle allows the viral genome to persist across bacterial generations while keeping host cells viable.Integration of the Viral GenomeUpon infection, bacteriophage lambda attaches to the bacterial surface and injects its...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Genomic and functional analysis of Vibrio phage SIO-2 reveals novel insights into ecology and evolution of marine siphoviruses.

Environmental microbiology·2012
Same author

Crosslinking in viral capsids via tiling theory.

Journal of theoretical biology·2005
Same author

Where are the pseudogenes in bacterial genomes?

Trends in microbiology·2002
Same author

Muscle strength in knee varus and valgus.

Medicine and science in sports and exercise·2001
Same author

Virus maturation involving large subunit rotations and local refolding.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2001
Same author

The origins and ongoing evolution of viruses.

Trends in microbiology·2000
Same journal

Resolution Biology in Soft Tissue Joint Disease.

Current topics in microbiology and immunology·2026
Same journal

A 25+ Year Journey on Yeast-Regulated Cell Death Research.

Current topics in microbiology and immunology·2026
Same journal

Adoptive T-Cell Immunotherapy.

Current topics in microbiology and immunology·2026
Same journal

Resolution Pharmacology Targeting the Melanocortin System.

Current topics in microbiology and immunology·2026
Same journal

Resolution of Skeletal Muscle Inflammation: Role of Specialized Pro-resolving Lipid Mediators in the Recovery from Exercise, Injury, and Disease.

Current topics in microbiology and immunology·2026
Same journal

Epstein-Barr Virus: From the Detection of Sequence Polymorphisms to the Recognition of Viral Strains.

Current topics in microbiology and immunology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Bacteriophage Removal from Infected Salmonella Cultures
07:19

Bacteriophage Removal from Infected Salmonella Cultures

Published on: June 28, 2024

Jumbo bacteriophages.

R W Hendrix1

  • 1Pittsburgh Bacteriophage Institute, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA. rhx@pitt.edu

Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology
|February 17, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Giant phages, large DNA viruses, share functions with smaller phages but have many unknown genes. Their evolution may be linked to capsid size constraints, suggesting an origin from smaller tailed phages.

More Related Videos

T4 Bacteriophage and E. coli Interaction in the Murine Intestine: A Prototypical Model for Studying Host-Bacteriophage Dynamics In Vivo
08:46

T4 Bacteriophage and E. coli Interaction in the Murine Intestine: A Prototypical Model for Studying Host-Bacteriophage Dynamics In Vivo

Published on: January 26, 2024

Phage-Mediated Genetic Manipulation of the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi
09:01

Phage-Mediated Genetic Manipulation of the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi

Published on: September 28, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Bacteriophage Removal from Infected Salmonella Cultures
07:19

Bacteriophage Removal from Infected Salmonella Cultures

Published on: June 28, 2024

T4 Bacteriophage and E. coli Interaction in the Murine Intestine: A Prototypical Model for Studying Host-Bacteriophage Dynamics In Vivo
08:46

T4 Bacteriophage and E. coli Interaction in the Murine Intestine: A Prototypical Model for Studying Host-Bacteriophage Dynamics In Vivo

Published on: January 26, 2024

Phage-Mediated Genetic Manipulation of the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi
09:01

Phage-Mediated Genetic Manipulation of the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi

Published on: September 28, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Genomics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Limited genome data exists for giant (jumbo) tailed bacteriophages (>200 kbp).
  • Most proteins in jumbo phages lack database matches, hindering comparative genomics.
  • Jumbo phage genomes are highly diverse, unlike smaller phages with abundant sequence data.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the genomic characteristics of giant tailed bacteriophages.
  • To infer evolutionary relationships and functional content of jumbo phages.
  • To compare jumbo phage genomes with those of smaller, well-studied phages.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative genomics analysis of available jumbo phage genomes.
  • Extrapolation of genome organization and evolutionary mechanisms from smaller phages.
  • Bioinformatic prediction and analysis of viral proteins.

Main Results:

  • Jumbo phages possess core functions similar to smaller phages.
  • Numerous small genes with unknown functions are encoded by jumbo phages.
  • Jumbo phage genomes exhibit significant diversity.

Conclusions:

  • Jumbo phages likely evolved from smaller tailed phages.
  • Capsid size may impose constraints influencing jumbo phage genome evolution.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the functions of novel jumbo phage genes.