Genomic comparison of 93 Bacillus phages reveals 12 clusters, 14 singletons and remarkable diversity.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Bacillus genus of Firmicutes bacteria is ubiquitous in nature and includes one of the best characterized model organisms, B. subtilis, as well as medically significant human pathogens, the most notorious being B. anthracis and B. cereus. As the most abundant living entities on the planet, bacteriophages are known to heavily influence the ecology and evolution of their hosts, including providing virulence factors. Thus, the identification and analysis of Bacillus phages is critical to understanding the evolution of Bacillus species, including pathogenic strains.

Results

Whole genome nucleotide and proteome comparison of the 93 extant Bacillus phages revealed 12 distinct clusters, 28 subclusters and 14 singleton phages. Host analysis of these clusters supports h

SUBMITTER: Grose JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4197329 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature