Prevalence, diversity, and parasitism of tailed prophages in <i>Vibrio harveyi</i>.

ABSTRACT: Vibrio harveyi, a pathogenic bacterium, contains prophages that significantly influence its pathogenesis and evolutionary traits. Investigating the prevalence, evolution, and ecological roles of these prophages is of great importance as V. harveyi is responsible for luminous bacteriosis in aquatic organisms. In this study, 13 tailed prophages were identified from 55 globally sourced V. harveyi genomes, with prophage-bacterium junctions precisely annotated. These prophages exhibited distinct parasitic mechanisms, including Mu-type transposition, site-specific recombination, and a plasmid-like non-integrated state, reflecting their adaptive plasticity. Proteome-based phylogenetic analysis classified these prophages into eight subfamilies and nine genera, with half repres

SUBMITTER: Ma R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12482185 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature