Molecular piracy in deep-sea hydrothermal vent: phage-plasmid interactions revealed by phage-FISH in <i>Marinitoga piezophila</i>.

ABSTRACT: Prokaryotes and mobile genetic elements (MGEs, such as viruses and plasmids) interact extensively, leading to horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and consequent microbial evolution and diversity. However, our knowledge of the interactions between MGEs in deep-sea hydrothermal ecosystems is limited. In this study, we adapted a phage-fluorescence in situ hybridization (phage-FISH) approach to visualize and quantify the dynamics of phage-plasmid interactions in an anaerobic, thermophilic deep-sea bacterium, Marinitoga piezophila. Notably, our results revealed that plasmid signals were detected in viral particles released from lysed cells, indicating that mitomycin C not only induced plasmid replication but also its packaging into phage particles. Further analysis of the DNA content i

SUBMITTER: Jin M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11921389 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature