G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics (Sep 2020)

The Complete Genome Sequence of the Staphylococcus Bacteriophage Metroid

  • Adele Crane,
  • Joy Abaidoo,
  • Gabriella Beltran,
  • Danielle Fry,
  • Colleen Furey,
  • Noe Green,
  • Ravneet Johal,
  • Bruno La Rosa,
  • Catalina Lopez Jimenez,
  • Linh Luong,
  • Garett Maag,
  • Jade Porche,
  • Lauren Reyes,
  • Aspen Robinson,
  • Samantha Sabbara,
  • Lucia Soto Herrera,
  • Angelica Urquidez Negrete,
  • Pauline Wilson,
  • Kerry Geiler-Samerotte,
  • Susanne P. Pfeifer

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1534/g3.120.401365
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 9
pp. 2975 – 2979

Abstract

Read online

Phages infecting bacteria of the genus Staphylococcus play an important role in their host’s ecology and evolution. On one hand, horizontal gene transfer from phage can encourage the rapid adaptation of pathogenic Staphylococcus enabling them to escape host immunity or access novel environments. On the other hand, lytic phages are promising agents for the treatment of bacterial infections, especially those resistant to antibiotics. As part of an ongoing effort to gain novel insights into bacteriophage diversity, we characterized the complete genome of the Staphylococcus bacteriophage Metroid, a cluster C phage with a genome size of 151kb, encompassing 254 predicted protein-coding genes as well as 4 tRNAs. A comparative genomic analysis highlights strong similarities – including a conservation of the lysis cassette – with other Staphylococcus cluster C bacteriophages, several of which were previously characterized for therapeutic applications.

Keywords