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Updated: Aug 3, 2025
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Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins
Published on: June 11, 2015
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Human-Gut Phages Harbor Sporulation Genes.
Daniel A Schwartz1, Josué A Rodríguez-Ramos2, Michael Shaffer2
1Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA.
Mbio
|April 12, 2023
Summary
Bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, carry genes for bacterial spore formation. These phages may manipulate bacterial dormancy, impacting gut microbiome health and microbial community dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Virology
- Genomics
Background:
- Spore-forming bacteria are common in mammalian guts, impacting host health.
- Bacterial spore formation is crucial for colonization, persistence, and transmission.
- Phages (bacterial viruses) can influence bacterial spore formation during infection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify phage-carried genes involved in bacterial sporulation.
- To investigate how phages might manipulate bacterial dormancy for their own fitness.
- To understand the implications for gut microbiome and other microbial communities.
Main Methods:
- Genome mining of bacteria and gut-derived metagenomes.
- Homology searches for sporulation genes in phage genomes.
- Host classification of phages infecting spore-forming bacteria.
Main Results:
- Identified 31 phage-carried homologs of bacterial sporulation genes.
- These genes are preferentially found in phages infecting spore-forming bacteria.
- A significant portion of these homologs are regulatory genes, including spo0A.
Conclusions:
- Phages can acquire and utilize bacterial sporulation genes.
- Phages may manipulate bacterial dormancy by controlling sporulation regulatory networks.
- This interaction influences bacterial spore formation, gut microbiome health, and microbial coevolution.
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