A bioinformatic analysis of ribonucleotide reductase genes in phage genomes and metagenomes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), the enzyme responsible for the formation of deoxyribonucleotides from ribonucleotides, is found in all domains of life and many viral genomes. RNRs are also amongst the most abundant genes identified in environmental metagenomes. This study focused on understanding the distribution, diversity, and evolution of RNRs in phages (viruses that infect bacteria). Hidden Markov Model profiles were used to analyze the proteins encoded by 685 completely sequenced double-stranded DNA phages and 22 environmental viral metagenomes to identify RNR homologs in cultured phages and uncultured viral communities, respectively.

Results

RNRs were identified in 128 phage genomes, nearly tripling the number of phages known to encode RNRs. Class I RNR was

SUBMITTER: Dwivedi B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3653736 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature