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Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins
Published on: June 11, 2015
Metabolic Genes within Cyanophage Genomes: Implications for Diversity and Evolution
E-Bin Gao1, Youhua Huang2, Degang Ning3
1School of The Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, No. 301, Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu Province, China. gaofei@ujs.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Cyanophages, a group of viruses specifically infecting cyanobacteria, are genetically diverse and extensively abundant in water environments. As a result of selective pressure, cyanophages often acquire a range of metabolic genes from host genomes. The host-derived genes make a significant contribution to the ecological success of cyanophages. In this review, we summarize the host-derived metabolic genes, as well as their origin and roles in cyanophage evolution and important host metabolic pathways, such as the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis, the pentose phosphate pathway, nutrient acquisition and nucleotide biosynthesis. We also discuss the suitability of the host-derived metabolic genes as potential diagnostic markers for the detection of genetic diversity of cyanophages in natural environments.
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