Analysis of novel mycobacteriophages indicates the existence of different strategies for phage inheritance in mycobacteria.

ABSTRACT: Mycobacteriophages have been essential in the development of mycobacterial genetics through their use in the construction of tools for genetic manipulation. Due to the simplicity of their isolation and variety of exploitable molecular features, we searched for and isolated 18 novel mycobacteriophages from environmental samples collected from several geographic locations. Characterization of these phages did not differ from most of the previously described ones in the predominant physical features (virion size in the 100-400 nm, genome size in the 50-70 kbp, morphological features compatible with those corresponding to the Siphoviridae family), however novel characteristics for propagation were noticed. Although all the mycobacteriophages propagated at 30°C, eight of them failed to propagat

SUBMITTER: Stella EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3585329 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature