JB
Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by O'Flaherty, S.
Right arrow Articles by Ross, R. P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by O'Flaherty, S.
Right arrow Articles by Ross, R. P.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Bacteriology, May 2004, p. 2862-2871, Vol. 186, No. 9
0021-9193/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.9.2862-2871.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Genome of Staphylococcal Phage K: a New Lineage of Myoviridae Infecting Gram-Positive Bacteria with a Low G+C Content

S. O'Flaherty,1,2,3 A. Coffey,4 R. Edwards,5 W. Meaney,2 G. F. Fitzgerald,3,6 and R. P. Ross1,6*

Dairy Products Research Centre,1 Dairy Production Research Centre, Teagasc, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork,2 Department of Microbiology, University College Cork,3 Department of Biological Sciences, Cork Institute of Technology,4 Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, Cork, Ireland,6 University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Memphis, Tennessee 381635

Received 7 November 2003/ Accepted 26 January 2004

Phage K is a polyvalent phage of the Myoviridae family which is active against a wide range of staphylococci. Phage genome sequencing revealed a linear DNA genome of 127,395 bp, which carries 118 putative open reading frames. The genome is organized in a modular form, encoding modules for lysis, structural proteins, DNA replication, and transcription. Interestingly, the structural module shows high homology to the structural module from Listeria phage A511, suggesting intergenus horizontal transfer. In addition, phage K exhibits the potential to encode proteins necessary for its own replisome, including DNA ligase, primase, helicase, polymerase, RNase H, and DNA binding proteins. Phage K has a complete absence of GATC sites, making it insensitive to restriction enzymes which cleave this sequence. Three introns (lys-I1, pol-I2, and pol-I3) encoding putative endonucleases were located in the genome. Two of these (pol-I2 and pol-I3) were found to interrupt the DNA polymerase gene, while the other (lys-I1) interrupts the lysin gene. Two of the introns encode putative proteins with homology to HNH endonucleases, whereas the other encodes a 270-amino-acid protein which contains two zinc fingers (CX2CX22CX2C and CX2CX23CX2C). The availability of the genome of this highly virulent phage, which is active against infective staphylococci, should provide new insights into the biology and evolution of large broad-spectrum polyvalent phages.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Teagasc, Dairy Products Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland. Phone: 353-25-42229. Fax: 353-25-42340. E-mail: pross{at}moorepark.teagasc.ie.

Journal of Bacteriology, May 2004, p. 2862-2871, Vol. 186, No. 9
0021-9193/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.9.2862-2871.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:



Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
Appl. Environ. Microbiol. Infect. Immun. Eukaryot. Cell
Mol. Cell. Biol. J. Virol. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev.
ALL ASM JOURNALS

Copyright © 2004 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.