Lysogenic control of Bacillus subtilis morphology and fitness by Spbetavirus phi3T.

ABSTRACT: In lysogenic conversion, temperate phages can profoundly alter the phenotypes of their bacterial hosts. When studying the effects of SPbeta-like viruses on a Bacillus subtilis soil isolate, we observed that phage phi3T induced a stable and heritable acquisition of a spherical cell morphology, departing from the typical rod shape of its ancestor. Although time-lapse imaging revealed that the lysogen retained cell wall integrity and symmetric division, it exhibited reduced fitness and increased susceptibility to cell wall-targeting antimicrobials. Remarkably, when SPβ, a homologous SPbeta-like virus, was present, the host retained its rod-shaped morphology despite phi3T superinfection. This study uncovers a novel example of lysogenic conversion in which phage integration into the bacterial g

SUBMITTER: Floccari VA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12361552 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature