Extension of the transposable bacterial virus family: two genomic organisations among phages and prophages with a Tn552-related transposase

Abstract

Mu-like transposable phages and prophages have been isolated from, or predicted, in a wide range of bacterial phyla. However, related B3-like transposable phages, which differ in their genome organisation and the DDE transposase and transposition activator they code for have thus far been restricted to a very limited set of hosts. Through sequence similarity searches, we have now expanded the number of predicted B3-like prophages and uncovered a third genomic organisation. These new genomes, although only prophages, further illustrate the previously reported mosaicism existing in the proposed “Saltoviridae” family of Caudovirales, and further support the proposal to move morphology criteria (contractile vs. flexible or short tail, i.e. Myo-vs. Sipho- or Podoviridae) from the family to the subfamily level in the taxonomic classification of the Caudovirales.