Phages infecting Faecalibacterium prausnitzii belong to novel viral genera that help to decipher intestinal viromes.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Viral metagenomic studies have suggested a role for bacteriophages in intestinal dysbiosis associated with several human diseases. However, interpretation of viral metagenomic studies is limited by the lack of knowledge of phages infecting major human gut commensal bacteria, such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, a bacterial symbiont repeatedly found depleted in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. In particular, no complete genomes of phages infecting F. prausnitzii are present in viral databases.

Methods

We identified 18 prophages in 15 genomes of F. prausnitzii, used comparative genomics to define eight phage clades, and annotated the genome of the type phage of each clade. For two of the phages, we studied prophage induction in vitro and in vivo in mice.

SUBMITTER: Cornuault JK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5883640 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature