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

Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages01:30

Lytic Cycle of Bacteriophages

70.7K
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...
70.7K
Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages00:43

Lysogenic Cycle of Bacteriophages

62.2K
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...
62.2K
The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes02:40

The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes

32.4K
The “tree of life” describes the evolution of life and the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The root of the tree is the common ancestor to all life on Earth. All other species radiate from this point, much like the branches of a tree. The numerous tips of these branches on the tree of life represent every living, or extant, species. Extinct species, which are species that no longer exist, can be found towards the center of the tree. Currently, these organisms, both...
32.4K
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons02:54

Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons

5.7K
Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
5.7K
The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryotes02:40

The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryotes

14.1K
14.1K
Phylogeny01:23

Phylogeny

44.2K
Phylogeny is concerned with the evolutionary diversification of organisms or groups of organisms. A group of organisms with a name is called a taxon (singular). Taxa (plural) can span different levels of the evolutionary hierarchy. For instance, the group containing all birds is a taxon (comprising the class Aves), and the group of all species of daisies (the genus Bellis) is a taxon. Phylogenies can likewise include just one genus (i.e., depict species relationships) or span an entire kingdom.
44.2K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

The effects of bacteriophage cocktail treatment on healthy gut microbiota: an <i>in vitro</i> human colon model study.

Microbial genomics·2026
Same author

Four decades of genomic stability and adaptive divergence in <i>Xanthomonas</i> phages: defining <i>Duraznoxanthovirus arenicola</i> and its evolutionary framework.

Frontiers in microbiology·2026
Same author

Phages for One Health: regulatory and product life cycle considerations.

Microbiology (Reading, England)·2026
Same author

An ancient genome of Streptococcus pyogenes from a pre-Columbian Bolivian mummy.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Phage Cocktail Designed for Wastewater Bioremediation Has Limited Effect on Crustacean Filtrator Microbiome Diversity and Health.

Environmental microbiology reports·2026
Same author

Characterization of Phylogenetically Distinct Temperate Phages from Kenyan <i>Mammaliicoccus sciuri</i>.

PHAGE (New Rochelle, N.Y.)·2026
Same journal

Tracking Synthetic Adhesins on Bacterial Surfaces with Immunofluorescence Microscopy.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

Post-Selection Methods for Analyzing mRNA Display Selections and Optimization of Hits.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

High-Performance Computing in Tandem Mass Spectrometry (MS/MS) Peptide Identification.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

Engineering and Adapting Disulfide-Containing Proteins to Enable Intracellular Functionality.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

AI-Driven Protein Research: From Prediction to Design.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
Same journal

Methods for the In Vitro Selection of Protein and Peptide Libraries Using mRNA Display.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 9, 2025

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins
09:40

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins

Published on: June 11, 2015

12.2K

Bacteriophage Taxonomy: A Continually Evolving Discipline.

Dann Turner1, Evelien M Adriaenssens2, Susan M Lehman3

  • 1School of Applied Sciences, College of Health, Science and Society, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|December 8, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Bacteriophage taxonomy has shifted from morphology to sequence-based methods. The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) now uses DNA and protein similarity for virus classification, leading to new viral families.

Keywords:
DNA sequence homologyICTVMorphologyNCBITaxonomy

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Efficiently Eliminating Bacteriophages from Infected Salmonella Cultures Using Lipopolysaccharides
07:19

Author Spotlight: Efficiently Eliminating Bacteriophages from Infected Salmonella Cultures Using Lipopolysaccharides

Published on: June 28, 2024

942
Author Spotlight: An Adapted Optical Density-Based Microplate Assay for Characterizing Actinobacteriophage Infection
03:33

Author Spotlight: An Adapted Optical Density-Based Microplate Assay for Characterizing Actinobacteriophage Infection

Published on: June 30, 2023

2.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 9, 2025

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins
09:40

Phage Phenomics: Physiological Approaches to Characterize Novel Viral Proteins

Published on: June 11, 2015

12.2K
Author Spotlight: Efficiently Eliminating Bacteriophages from Infected Salmonella Cultures Using Lipopolysaccharides
07:19

Author Spotlight: Efficiently Eliminating Bacteriophages from Infected Salmonella Cultures Using Lipopolysaccharides

Published on: June 28, 2024

942
Author Spotlight: An Adapted Optical Density-Based Microplate Assay for Characterizing Actinobacteriophage Infection
03:33

Author Spotlight: An Adapted Optical Density-Based Microplate Assay for Characterizing Actinobacteriophage Infection

Published on: June 30, 2023

2.2K

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Virology
  • Bioinformatics

Background:

  • Bacteriophage taxonomy has historically relied on morphology.
  • Key figures like David Bradley and Hans-Wolfgang Ackermann shaped early classification.
  • Modern approaches leverage molecular data for more precise classification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the evolution of bacteriophage taxonomy.
  • To outline the current holistic approach used by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV).
  • To highlight the impact of genomic data on viral classification.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of viral morphology (historical).
  • DNA and protein sequence similarity assessment.
  • Phylogenetic analysis.

Main Results:

  • Bacteriophage taxonomy has transitioned to a sequence-based methodology.
  • The ICTV Bacterial Viruses Subcommittee employs a holistic approach integrating multiple data types.
  • The availability of extensive genomic data is driving taxonomic reassessment.

Conclusions:

  • Modern bacteriophage taxonomy integrates morphology, sequence data, and phylogeny.
  • The field is dynamic, with ongoing revisions and the potential for new higher taxonomic ranks.
  • Genomic data is crucial for accurate and evolving viral classification.