The interplay between the marine diazotroph <i>Vibrio diazotrophicus</i> and its prophage shapes both biofilm structure and nitrogen release.

ABSTRACT: Marine environments are frequently oligotrophic, characterized by low amount of bioassimilable nitrogen sources. At the global scale, the microbial fixation of N₂, or diazotrophy, represents the primary source of fixed nitrogen in pelagic marine ecosystems, playing a key role in supporting primary production and driving the export of organic matter to the deep ocean. However, given the high energetic cost of N₂ fixation, the active release of fixed nitrogen by diazotrophs appears counterintuitive, suggesting the existence of alternative passive release pathways that remain understudied to date. Here, we show that the marine non-cyanobacterial diazotroph Vibrio diazotrophicus is endowed with a prophage belonging to the Myoviridae family, whose expression is induced under anoxi

SUBMITTER: Mahoudeau L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12838380 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature