Abstract
BackgroundSpounavirinae viruses have received an increasing interest as tools for the control of harmful bacteria due to their relatively broad host range and strictly virulent phenotype.ResultsIn this study, we collected and analyzed the complete genome sequences of 61 published phages, either ICTV-classified or candidate members of the Spounavirinae subfamily of the Myoviridae. A set of comparative analyses identified a distinct, recently proposed Bastille-like phage group within the Spounavirinae. More importantly, type 1 thymidylate synthase (TS1) and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) genes were shown to be unique for the members of the proposed Bastille-like phage group, and are suitable as molecular markers. We also show that the members of this group encode beta-lactamase and/or sporulation-related SpoIIIE homologs, possibly questioning their suitability as biocontrol agents.ConclusionsWe confirm the creation of a new genus—the “Bastille-like group”—in Spounavirinae, and propose that the presence of TS1- and DHFR-encoding genes could serve as signatures for the new Bastille-like group. In addition, the presence of metallo-beta-lactamase and/or SpoIIIE homologs in all members of Bastille-like group phages makes questionable their suitability for use in biocontrol.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1757-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Spounavirinae viruses have received an increasing interest as tools for the control of harmful bacteria due to their relatively broad host range and strictly virulent phenotype
The first group consists of 26 phages including eight recently-proposed Bastille-like group phages (Bastille, B4, B5S, BCP78, BCU4, BPS13, W.Ph. and phiAGATE) [3]
The thymidylate synthase genes were compared by Muscle multiple sequence alignment, and a phylogenetic tree was generated with MEGA v6 [27] using the Maximum Likelihood (ML) method
Summary
Spounavirinae viruses have received an increasing interest as tools for the control of harmful bacteria due to their relatively broad host range and strictly virulent phenotype. Spounavirinae is a subfamily of the Myoviridae, and its members possess a large isometric head (75–100 nm) with a long contractile tail (140–220 nm) [19]. An increasing interest in the Spounavirinae members can be noted, due to their broad host range and strictly virulent lifestyle [25]. As of the date of manuscript submission, 34 large genome Bacillus Spounavirinae (Myoviridae with genome above 127 kb) have been sequenced and deposited in the NCBI GenBank database, of which only phage SPO1 has been assigned a genus under the current recognized ICTV classification [18].
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