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Related Concept Videos

Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages01:30

Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages

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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...
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Viral Replication: Lysogenic Cycle01:16

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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...
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DNA Bacteriophages01:26

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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...
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Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages00:43

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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...
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Viral Replication: Lytic Cycle01:20

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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...
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Size and Structure of Viral Genomes01:26

Size and Structure of Viral Genomes

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Viral genomes exhibit remarkable diversity in size, structure, and composition, influencing their replication strategies and interactions with host cells. These genomes consist of either DNA or RNA and may be linear or circular. Additionally, they can be single-stranded or double-stranded, with each configuration affecting how the virus propagates within a host. RNA viruses, for instance, generally have smaller genomes than DNA viruses, a factor that contributes to their high mutation rates and...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 31, 2025

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins
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Phage-specific metabolic reprogramming of virocells.

Cristina Howard-Varona1, Morgan M Lindback2, G Eric Bastien2

  • 1Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, 484 W 12th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA.

The ISME Journal
|January 4, 2020
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Summary

Ocean viruses create distinct virocells (virus-infected cells) that significantly alter microbial metabolism and ecosystem functions. Understanding these virus-host interactions is crucial for accurate ecological modeling.

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Area of Science:

  • Marine microbiology
  • Virology
  • Ecosystem modeling

Background:

  • Ocean viruses infect 20-40% of surface microbes, making virus-infected cells (virocells) a predominant microbial state.
  • The ecosystem impacts of virocells are understudied, hindering their inclusion in ecological models.
  • Bacterial viruses (phages) can reprogram host cells into distinct virocells with varying ecological footprints.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how unrelated phages reprogram a single marine bacterium into contrasting virocells.
  • To analyze the metabolic reprogramming and resource requirements of different virocell types.
  • To relate phage-host genomic complementarity and viral fitness to virocell characteristics and ecosystem impacts.

Main Methods:

  • Independent infection of the marine bacterium Pseudoalteromonas with two distinct phages: siphovirus PSA-HS2 and podovirus PSA-HP1.
  • Time-resolved multi-omics analyses (genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics) to assess host and viral responses.
  • Comparison of metabolic reprogramming, resource acquisition, and energy metabolism between different virocell types and uninfected cells.

Main Results:

  • Siphovirus HS2 infection resulted in virocells with minimal metabolic differences from uninfected cells, repressing energy-intensive processes like motility and translation.
  • Podovirus HP1 infection led to substantial virocell metabolic reprogramming, including repressed transcription, continuous infection response, and altered resource acquisition and central metabolism.
  • Virocell metabolic reprogramming was linked to phage-host genomic complementarity and viral fitness, with HS2 showing higher complementarity and fitness.

Conclusions:

  • Different phages induce distinct virocell states with significantly different metabolic profiles and ecosystem footprints.
  • Virocell metabolism and ecological impact are influenced by phage-host genomic complementarity and viral fitness.
  • A conceptual model is proposed to integrate phage-host interactions, virocell metabolism, and viral fitness into ecosystem models.