Genomic characterization of mycobacteriophage Giles: evidence for phage acquisition of host DNA by illegitimate recombination

J Bacteriol. 2008 Mar;190(6):2172-82. doi: 10.1128/JB.01657-07. Epub 2008 Jan 4.

Abstract

A characteristic feature of bacteriophage genomes is that they are architecturally mosaic, with each individual genome representing a unique assemblage of individual exchangeable modules. Plausible mechanisms for generating mosaicism include homologous recombination at shared boundary sequences of module junctions, illegitimate recombination in a non-sequence-directed process, and site-specific recombination. Analysis of the novel mycobacteriophage Giles genome not only extends our current perspective on bacteriophage genetic diversity, with more than 60% of the genes unrelated to other mycobacteriophages, but offers novel insights into how mosaic genomes are created. In one example, the integration/excision cassette is atypically situated within the structural gene operon and could have moved there either by illegitimate recombination or more plausibly via integrase-mediated site-specific recombination. In a second example, a DNA segment has been recently acquired from the host bacterial chromosome by illegitimate recombination, providing further evidence that phage genomic mosaicism is generated by nontargeted recombination processes.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics*
  • Genome, Viral / genetics*
  • Host-Pathogen Interactions
  • Microscopy, Electron
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mycobacteriophages / genetics*
  • Mycobacteriophages / physiology
  • Mycobacteriophages / ultrastructure
  • Mycobacterium smegmatis / genetics
  • Mycobacterium smegmatis / virology
  • Operon / genetics
  • Recombination, Genetic*
  • Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid

Substances

  • DNA, Bacterial

Associated data

  • GENBANK/EU203571