Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 26, 2025

Understanding the Impact of Temperate Bacteriophages on Their Lysogens Through Transcriptomics
09:23

Understanding the Impact of Temperate Bacteriophages on Their Lysogens Through Transcriptomics

Published on: January 5, 2024

1.9K

Prophages and plasmids can display opposite trends in the types of accessory genes they carry

Nobuto Takeuchi1,2, Sophia Hamada-Zhu1, Haruo Suzuki3,4

  • 1School of Biological Sciences, the University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|June 20, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) like phages and plasmids carry accessory genes. This study reveals MGEs differentiate gene types, such as antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factor genes (VFGs), based on infection strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • Mobile genetic elements (MGEs), including phages and plasmids, contribute to bacterial evolution by carrying accessory genes.
  • Understanding the rules governing the accessory gene repertoire of MGEs is crucial for comprehending bacterial adaptation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether distinct MGEs, specifically prophages and plasmids, exhibit differential patterns in carrying antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and virulence factor genes (VFGs).
  • To explore potential rules governing horizontal gene transfer mediated by MGEs based on their accessory gene content.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of prophage and plasmid genomes across 21 pathogenic bacterial species.
  • Utilizing public genomic databases to assess the frequency of ARGs and VFGs carried by MGEs.
  • Examining the functional diversity of VFGs encoded by prophages and plasmids in *Escherichia coli*.

Main Results:

  • Prophages more frequently carry VFGs than ARGs in three species, while plasmids carry ARGs more frequently than VFGs in nine species.
  • In *Escherichia coli*, prophage-encoded VFGs have a narrower functional range (host damage, immune modulation) compared to plasmid-borne VFGs.
  • In species lacking this disparity, ARGs and VFGs are rarely found in prophages and plasmids.

Conclusions:

  • MGEs exhibit distinct patterns in carrying accessory genes, suggesting a rule related to their specific infection strategies.
  • This differentiation in gene content supports the hypothesis that MGEs play a role in shaping bacterial evolution through regulated horizontal gene transfer.
Keywords:
bacteriophageevolution of antimicrobial resistanceevolution of pathogenicitylateral gene transferselfish genetic elementsvirus

More Related Videos

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins09:40

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins

Published on: June 11, 2015

12.2K
Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach12:32

Quantification of Plasmid-Mediated Antibiotic Resistance in an Experimental Evolution Approach

Published on: December 14, 2019

14.0K

Related Concept Videos

Plasmids01:28

Plasmids

Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA molecules found in bacteria, archaea, and some eukaryotic microbes like yeast. These small, circular DNA structures typically contain fewer than 30 genes, although some may exist linearly. Plasmids vary in their number within a cell, known as copy number. Single-copy plasmids are present in one copy per cell and multi-copy plasmids are present in multiple copies, reaching over 100 copies per cell.Plasmids usually replicate independently of the chromosomal DNA...
53
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...
62.6K
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...
62
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...
87
Genomic DNA in Prokaryotes00:46

Genomic DNA in Prokaryotes

The genome of most prokaryotic organisms consists of double-stranded DNA organized into one circular chromosome in a region of cytoplasm called the nucleoid. The chromosome is tightly wound, or supercoiled, for efficient storage. Prokaryotes also contain other circular pieces of DNA called plasmids. These plasmids are smaller than the chromosome and often carry genes that confer adaptive functions, such as antibiotic resistance.
Genomic Diversity in Bacteria
Although bacterial genomes are much...
44.1K
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes03:21

Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes

While every living organism has a genome of some kind (be it RNA, or DNA), there is considerable variation in the sizes of these blueprints. One major factor that impacts genome size is whether the organism is prokaryotic or eukaryotic. In prokaryotes, the genome contains little to no non-coding sequence, such that genes are tightly clustered in groups or operons sequentially along the chromosome. Conversely, the genes in eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of non-coding sequence.
8.0K