Characteristics and Comparative Genomic Analysis of a Novel Virus, VarioGold, the First Bacteriophage of <i>Variovorax</i>
<i>Variovorax</i> represents a widespread and ecologically significant genus of soil bacteria. Despite the ecological importance of these bacteria, our knowledge about the viruses infecting <i>Variovorax</i> spp. is quite poor. This study describes the isolation and character...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/23/21/13539 |
| Summary: | <i>Variovorax</i> represents a widespread and ecologically significant genus of soil bacteria. Despite the ecological importance of these bacteria, our knowledge about the viruses infecting <i>Variovorax</i> spp. is quite poor. This study describes the isolation and characterization of the mitomycin-induced phage, named VarioGold. To the best of our knowledge, VarioGold represents the first characterized virus for this genus. Comparative genomic analyses suggested that VarioGold is distinct from currently known bacteriophages at both the nucleotide and protein levels; thus, it could be considered a new virus genus. In addition, another 37 prophages were distinguished in silico within the complete genomic sequences of <i>Variovorax</i> spp. that are available in public databases. The similarity networking analysis highlighted their general high diversity, which, despite clustering with previously described phages, shows their unique genetic load. Therefore, the novelty of <i>Variovorax</i> phages warrants the great enrichment of databases, which could, in turn, improve bioinformatic strategies for finding (pro)phages. |
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| ISSN: | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |