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Skowron PM, Łubkowska B, Sobolewski I, Zylicz-Stachula A, Šimoliūnienė M, Šimoliūnas E. Bacteriophages of Thermophilic ' Bacillus Group' Bacteria-A Systematic Review, 2023 Update. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:3125. [PMID: 38542099 PMCID: PMC10969951 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25063125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages associated with thermophiles are gaining increased attention due to their pivotal roles in various biogeochemical and ecological processes, as well as their applications in biotechnology and bionanotechnology. Although thermophages are not suitable for controlling bacterial infections in humans or animals, their individual components, such as enzymes and capsid proteins, can be employed in molecular biology and significantly contribute to the enhancement of human and animal health. Despite their significance, thermophages still remain underrepresented in the known prokaryotic virosphere, primarily due to limited in-depth investigations. However, due to their unique properties, thermophages are currently attracting increasing interest, as evidenced by several newly discovered phages belonging to this group. This review offers an updated compilation of thermophages characterized to date, focusing on species infecting the thermophilic bacilli. Moreover, it presents experimental findings, including novel proteomic data (39 proteins) concerning the model TP-84 bacteriophage, along with the first announcement of 6 recently discovered thermophages infecting Geobacillus thermodenitrificans: PK5.2, PK2.1, NIIg10.1, NIIg2.1, NIIg2.2, and NIIg2.3. This review serves as an update to our previous publication in 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr M. Skowron
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland; (I.S.); (A.Z.-S.)
| | - Beata Łubkowska
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, K. Gorskiego 1, 80-336 Gdansk, Poland;
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Ireneusz Sobolewski
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland; (I.S.); (A.Z.-S.)
| | - Agnieszka Zylicz-Stachula
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland; (I.S.); (A.Z.-S.)
| | - Monika Šimoliūnienė
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Biochemistry, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Sauletekio Av. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania; (M.Š.); (E.Š.)
| | - Eugenijus Šimoliūnas
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Biochemistry, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Sauletekio Av. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania; (M.Š.); (E.Š.)
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Bioscience, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Sauletekio Av. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
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Cook R, Brown N, Rihtman B, Michniewski S, Redgwell T, Clokie M, Stekel DJ, Chen Y, Scanlan DJ, Hobman JL, Nelson A, Jones MA, Smith D, Millard A. The long and short of it: benchmarking viromics using Illumina, Nanopore and PacBio sequencing technologies. Microb Genom 2024; 10:001198. [PMID: 38376377 PMCID: PMC10926689 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Viral metagenomics has fuelled a rapid change in our understanding of global viral diversity and ecology. Long-read sequencing and hybrid assembly approaches that combine long- and short-read technologies are now being widely implemented in bacterial genomics and metagenomics. However, the use of long-read sequencing to investigate viral communities is still in its infancy. While Nanopore and PacBio technologies have been applied to viral metagenomics, it is not known to what extent different technologies will impact the reconstruction of the viral community. Thus, we constructed a mock bacteriophage community of previously sequenced phage genomes and sequenced them using Illumina, Nanopore and PacBio sequencing technologies and tested a number of different assembly approaches. When using a single sequencing technology, Illumina assemblies were the best at recovering phage genomes. Nanopore- and PacBio-only assemblies performed poorly in comparison to Illumina in both genome recovery and error rates, which both varied with the assembler used. The best Nanopore assembly had errors that manifested as SNPs and INDELs at frequencies 41 and 157 % higher than found in Illumina only assemblies, respectively. While the best PacBio assemblies had SNPs at frequencies 12 and 78 % higher than found in Illumina-only assemblies, respectively. Despite high-read coverage, long-read-only assemblies recovered a maximum of one complete genome from any assembly, unless reads were down-sampled prior to assembly. Overall the best approach was assembly by a combination of Illumina and Nanopore reads, which reduced error rates to levels comparable with short-read-only assemblies. When using a single technology, Illumina only was the best approach. The differences in genome recovery and error rates between technology and assembler had downstream impacts on gene prediction, viral prediction, and subsequent estimates of diversity within a sample. These findings will provide a starting point for others in the choice of reads and assembly algorithms for the analysis of viromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Cook
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, College Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Nathan Brown
- Centre for Phage Research, Dept Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Branko Rihtman
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Slawomir Michniewski
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Tamsin Redgwell
- COPSAC, Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Ledreborg Alle 34, 2820, Gentofte, Denmark
| | - Martha Clokie
- Centre for Phage Research, Dept Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Dov J. Stekel
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, College Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK
- Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics, University of Johannesburg, Rossmore 2029, South Africa
| | - Yin Chen
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - David J. Scanlan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - Jon L. Hobman
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, College Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Andrew Nelson
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK
| | - Michael A. Jones
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, College Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Darren Smith
- Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK
| | - Andrew Millard
- Centre for Phage Research, Dept Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 7RH, UK
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Isolation, characterization, and comparative genomic analysis of vB_BviS-A10Y, a novel bacteriophage from mangrove sediments. Arch Virol 2023; 168:54. [PMID: 36609927 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-022-05637-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Mangrove is among the most carbon-rich biomes on earth, and viruses are believed to play a significant role in modulating local and global carbon cycling. However, few viruses have been isolated from mangrove sediments to date. Here, we report the isolation of a novel Bacillus phage (named phage vB_BviS-A10Y) from mangrove sediments. Phage vB_BviS-A10Y has a hexameric head with a diameter of ~ 79.22 nm and a tail with a length of ~ 548.56 nm, which are typical features of siphophages. vB_BviS-A10Y initiated host lysis at 3.5 h postinfection with a burst size of 25 plaque-forming units (PFU)/cell. The genome of phage vB_BviS-A10Y is 162,435 bp long with 225 predicted genes, and the GC content is 34.03%. A comparison of the whole genome sequence of phage vB_BviS-A10Y with those of other phages from the NCBI viral genome database showed that phage vB_BviS-A10Y has the highest similarity (73.7% identity with 33% coverage) to Bacillus phage PBC2. Interestingly, abundant auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) were identified in the vB_BviS-A10Y genome. The presence of a β-1,3-glucosyltransferase gene in the phage genome supported our previous hypothesis that mangrove viruses may manipulate carbon cycling directly through their encoded carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) genes. Therefore, our study will contribute to a better understanding of the diversity and potential roles of viruses in mangrove ecosystems.
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Nagel TE, Mutai IJ, Josephs T, Clokie MR. A Brief History of Phage Research and Teaching in Africa. PHAGE (NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y.) 2022; 3:184-193. [PMID: 36793885 PMCID: PMC9917308 DOI: 10.1089/phage.2022.29037.inp] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Theodore Josephs
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Martha R.J. Clokie
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
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Batinovic S, Stanton CR, Rice DTF, Rowe B, Beer M, Petrovski S. Tyroviruses are a new group of temperate phages that infect Bacillus species in soil environments worldwide. BMC Genomics 2022; 23:777. [PMID: 36443683 PMCID: PMC9703825 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-022-09023-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bacteriophages are widely considered to be highly abundant and genetically diverse, with their role in the evolution and virulence of many pathogens becoming increasingly clear. Less attention has been paid on phages preying on Bacillus, despite the potential for some of its members, such as Bacillus anthracis, to cause serious human disease. RESULTS We have isolated five phages infecting the causative agent of anthrax, Bacillus anthracis. Using modern phylogenetic approaches we place these five new Bacillus phages, as well as 21 similar phage genomes retrieved from publicly available databases and metagenomic datasets into the Tyrovirus group, a newly proposed group named so due to the conservation of three distinct tyrosine recombinases. Genomic analysis of these large phages (~ 160-170 kb) reveals their DNA packaging mechanism and genomic features contributing to virion morphogenesis, host cell lysis and phage DNA replication processes. Analysis of the three tyrosine recombinases suggest Tyroviruses undergo a prophage lifecycle that may involve both host integration and plasmid stages. Further we show that Tyroviruses rely on divergent invasion mechanisms, with a subset requiring host S-layer for infection. CONCLUSIONS Ultimately, we expand upon our understanding on the classification, phylogeny, and genomic organisation of a new and substantial phage group that prey on critically relevant Bacillus species. In an era characterised by a rapidly evolving landscape of phage genomics the deposition of future Tyroviruses will allow the further unravelling of the global spread and evolutionary history of these Bacillus phages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Batinovic
- grid.1018.80000 0001 2342 0938Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC Australia ,grid.268446.a0000 0001 2185 8709Present address: Division of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Yokohama National University, Yokohama, Kanagawa Japan
| | - Cassandra R. Stanton
- grid.1018.80000 0001 2342 0938Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC Australia
| | - Daniel T. F. Rice
- grid.1018.80000 0001 2342 0938Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC Australia
| | - Brittany Rowe
- grid.1018.80000 0001 2342 0938Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC Australia
| | - Michael Beer
- grid.431245.50000 0004 0385 5290Defence Science and Technology Group, Fishermans Bend, Victoria, Australia
| | - Steve Petrovski
- grid.1018.80000 0001 2342 0938Department of Physiology, Anatomy, and Microbiology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC Australia
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Makumi A, Mhone AL, Odaba J, Guantai L, Svitek N. Phages for Africa: The Potential Benefit and Challenges of Phage Therapy for the Livestock Sector in Sub-Saharan Africa. Antibiotics (Basel) 2021; 10:antibiotics10091085. [PMID: 34572667 PMCID: PMC8470919 DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics10091085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
One of the world’s fastest-growing human populations is in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), accounting for more than 950 million people, which is approximately 13% of the global population. Livestock farming is vital to SSA as a source of food supply, employment, and income. With this population increase, meeting this demand and the choice for a greater income and dietary options come at a cost and lead to the spread of zoonotic diseases to humans. To control these diseases, farmers have opted to rely heavily on antibiotics more often to prevent disease than for treatment. The constant use of antibiotics causes a selective pressure to build resistant bacteria resulting in the emergence and spread of multi-drug resistant (MDR) organisms in the environment. This necessitates the use of alternatives such as bacteriophages in curbing zoonotic pathogens. This review covers the underlying problems of antibiotic use and resistance associated with livestock farming in SSA, bacteriophages as a suitable alternative, what attributes contribute to making bacteriophages potentially valuable for SSA and recent research on bacteriophages in Africa. Furthermore, other topics discussed include the creation of phage biobanks and the challenges facing this kind of advancement, and the regulatory aspects of phage development in SSA with a focus on Kenya.
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Łubkowska B, Jeżewska-Frąckowiak J, Sobolewski I, Skowron PM. Bacteriophages of Thermophilic ' Bacillus Group' Bacteria-A Review. Microorganisms 2021; 9:1522. [PMID: 34361957 PMCID: PMC8303945 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9071522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 07/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteriophages of thermophiles are of increasing interest owing to their important roles in many biogeochemical, ecological processes and in biotechnology applications, including emerging bionanotechnology. However, due to lack of in-depth investigation, they are underrepresented in the known prokaryotic virosphere. Therefore, there is a considerable potential for the discovery of novel bacteriophage-host systems in various environments: marine and terrestrial hot springs, compost piles, soil, industrial hot waters, among others. This review aims at providing a reference compendium of thermophages characterized thus far, which infect the species of thermophilic 'Bacillus group' bacteria, mostly from Geobacillus sp. We have listed 56 thermophages, out of which the majority belong to the Siphoviridae family, others belong to the Myoviridae and Podoviridae families and, apparently, a few belong to the Sphaerolipoviridae, Tectiviridae or Corticoviridae families. All of their genomes are composed of dsDNA, either linear, circular or circularly permuted. Fourteen genomes have been sequenced; their sizes vary greatly from 35,055 bp to an exceptionally large genome of 160,590 bp. We have also included our unpublished data on TP-84, which infects Geobacillus stearothermophilus (G. stearothermophilus). Since the TP-84 genome sequence shows essentially no similarity to any previously characterized bacteriophage, we have defined TP-84 as a new species in the newly proposed genus Tp84virus within the Siphoviridae family. The information summary presented here may be helpful in comparative deciphering of the molecular basis of the thermophages' biology, biotechnology and in analyzing the environmental aspects of the thermophages' effect on the thermophile community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beata Łubkowska
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland; (J.J.-F.); (I.S.); (P.M.S.)
- The High School of Health in Gdansk, Pelplinska 7, 80-335 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Joanna Jeżewska-Frąckowiak
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland; (J.J.-F.); (I.S.); (P.M.S.)
| | - Ireneusz Sobolewski
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland; (J.J.-F.); (I.S.); (P.M.S.)
| | - Piotr M. Skowron
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdansk, Poland; (J.J.-F.); (I.S.); (P.M.S.)
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Characterization and Genome Analysis of a Novel Mu-like Phage VW-6B Isolated from the Napahai Plateau Wetland of China. Curr Microbiol 2020; 78:150-158. [PMID: 33150466 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-020-02277-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Although bacteriophages are more numerous and have smaller genomes than their bacterial hosts, relatively few have their genomes sequenced. Here, we isolated the Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteriophage from Napahai plateau wetland and performed de novo genome sequencing. Based on the previous biological characteristics and bioinformatics analysis, it was determined that VW-6B was a linear double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) phage with 35,306 bp, with 56.76% G+C content and 197 bp tandem repeats. The VW-6B genome contained 46 open-reading frames (ORFs), and no tRNA genes were found. Based on phage genome structure, sequence comparison, and collinear analysis, VW-6B should be classified into the family Siphoviridae and be considered as a member of a new species in the Mu-like phage. The newly isolated bacteriophage can specifically infect P. fluorescens, which further enriches the diversity of known bacteriophages and provides a basis for the subsequent research and application of bacteriophages.
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