To catch a hijacker: abundance, evolution and genetic diversity of P4-like bacteriophage satellites.

ABSTRACT: Bacteriophages (phages) are bacterial parasites that can themselves be parasitized by phage satellites. The molecular mechanisms used by satellites to hijack phages are sometimes understood in great detail, but the origins, abundance, distribution and composition of these elements are poorly known. Here, we show that P4-like elements are present in more than 30% of the genomes of Enterobacterales, and in almost half of those of Escherichia coli, sometimes in multiple distinct copies. We identified over 1000 P4-like elements with very conserved genetic organization of the core genome and a few hotspots with highly variable genes. These elements are never found in plasmids and have very little homology to known phages, suggesting an independent evolutionary origin. Instead, they are s

SUBMITTER: Moura de Sousa JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8628076 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature