Student Authors
Brianne Tomko '16
Albert Vill '16
Katherine (Boas) Lichty '16
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-23-2022
Department 1
Biology
Abstract
SPP1, an extensively studied bacteriophage of the Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis, is a model system for the study of phage–host interactions. Despite progress in the isolation and characterization of Bacillus phages, no previously fully sequenced phages have shared more than passing genetic similarity to SPP1. Here, we describe three virulent phages very similar to SPP1; SPP1 has greater than 80% nucleotide sequence identity and shares more that 85% of its protein coding genes with these phages. This is remarkable, given more than 40 years between the isolation of SPP1 and these phages. All three phages have somewhat larger genomes and more genes than SPP1. We identified a new putative gene in SPP1 based on a conserved sequence found in all phages. Gene conservation connotes purifying selection and is observed in structural genes and genes involved in DNA metabolism, but also in genes of unknown function, suggesting an important role in phage survival independent of the environment. Patterns of divergence point to genes or gene domains likely involved in adaptation to diverse hosts or different environments. Ultimately, comparative genomics of related phages provides insight into the long-term selective pressures that affect phage–bacteria interactions and alter phage genome content.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
DOI
10.3390/v14102106
Version
Version of Record
Recommended Citation
Delesalle, Véronique A., Brianne E. Tomko, Albert C. Vill, Katherine B. Lichty, and Greg P. Krukonis. 2022. "Forty Years without Family: Three Novel Bacteriophages with High Similarity to SPP1 Reveal Decades of Evolutionary Stasis since the Isolation of Their Famous Relative" Viruses 14, no. 10: 2106. https://doi.org/10.3390/v14102106