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Updated: Jul 9, 2026
09:23
Understanding the Impact of Temperate Bacteriophages on Their Lysogens Through Transcriptomics
Published on: January 5, 2024
Common Strategies Governing Temperate Phage and α-Herpesvirus Persistence
1Department of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA;
Annual Review of Microbiology
|July 7, 2026
Summary
Viruses with double-stranded DNA genomes can persist in cells by repressing replication. Similar physiological cues control this viral persistence strategy across diverse life-forms, from bacteria to humans.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Double-stranded DNA viruses infect all life-forms.
- Infection can be productive (virion production, cell lysis) or persistent (lysogeny/latency).
- Persistent infections allow viral genome maintenance while deferring replication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare mechanisms controlling viral persistence versus productive infection.
- To illustrate these mechanisms using temperate bacteriophage and herpes simplex virus 1.
- To identify conserved strategies for virus persistence.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of viral persistence strategies.
- Review of recent developments in herpes simplex virus 1 latency.
- Examination of physiological cues influencing viral infection outcomes.
Main Results:
- Temperate bacteriophage and herpesviruses employ similar regulatory mechanisms.
- Key physiological cues (genome integrity, nutrient status, cell signals) govern the switch between persistence and productive infection.
- These cues are conserved across evolutionarily distant viruses.
Conclusions:
- A conserved virus persistence strategy relies on monitoring basic cellular homeostatic indicators.
- This strategy allows viruses to balance genome maintenance with the potential for productive replication.
- Understanding these conserved mechanisms is crucial for controlling viral infections.
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