Prophage dynamics in gastric and enterohepatic environments: unraveling ecological barriers and adaptive transitions.

ABSTRACT: Phage predation plays a critical role in shaping bacterial genetic diversity, with prophages playing a comparable role. However, the prevalence and genetic variability of prophages within the Helicobacter genus remain inadequately studied. Helicobacter species are clinically significant and occupy distinct digestive system regions, with gastric species (e.g. Helicobacter pylori) residing in the gastric mucosa and enterohepatic species colonizing the liver and intestines of various vertebrates. Here, we address this knowledge gap by analyzing prophage presence and diversity across 343 non-pylori Helicobacter genomes, mapping their distribution, comparing genomic features between gastric and enterohepatic prophages, and exploring their evolutionary relationships w

SUBMITTER: Proenca M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11840440 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature