The first characterized phage against a member of the ecologically important sphingomonads reveals high dissimilarity against all other known phages.

ABSTRACT: This study describes the first molecular characterization of a bacteriophage infecting a member of the environmentally important Sphingomonadaceae family. Both bacteriophage Lacusarx and its host Sphingobium sp. IP1 were isolated from activated sludge from a wastewater treatment plant. Genome sequencing revealed that the phage genes display little similarity to other known phages, despite a remarkable conservation of the synteny in which the functional genes occur among distantly related phages. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed that Lacusarx represents a hitherto undescribed genus of phages. A classical lysis cassette could not be identified in Lacusarx, suggesting that the genes encoding endolysin, holin, and spanin are host-specific and not found in phages infecting other bacteria. The vi

SUBMITTER: Nielsen TK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5648845 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature