Viruses 2018, 10(6), 331; https://doi.org/10.3390/v10060331
Pseudomonas PB1-Like Phages: Whole Genomes from Metagenomes Offer Insight into an Abundant Group of Bacteriophages
1
Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
2
Department of Computer Science, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
3
Bioinformatics Program, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
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Current Address: Biology Department, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM 87801, USA.
‡
Current Address: Biology Department, City University of New York, New York, NY 10031, USA.
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 15 May 2018 / Revised: 11 June 2018 / Accepted: 11 June 2018 / Published: 16 June 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bacteriophage Genomes and Genomics: News from the Wild)
Abstract
Despite the abundance, ubiquity and impact of environmental viruses, their inherent genomic plasticity and extreme diversity pose significant challenges for the examination of bacteriophages on Earth. Viral metagenomic studies have offered insight into broader aspects of phage ecology and repeatedly uncover genes to which we are currently unable to assign function. A combined effort of phage isolation and metagenomic survey of Chicago’s nearshore waters of Lake Michigan revealed the presence of Pbunaviruses, relatives of the Pseudomonas phage PB1. This prompted our expansive investigation of PB1-like phages. Genomic signatures of PB1-like phages and Pbunaviruses were identified, permitting the unambiguous distinction between the presence/absence of these phages in soils, freshwater and wastewater samples, as well as publicly available viral metagenomic datasets. This bioinformatic analysis led to the de novo assembly of nine novel PB1-like phage genomes from a metagenomic survey of samples collected from Lake Michigan. While this study finds that Pbunaviruses are abundant in various environments of Northern Illinois, genomic variation also exists to a considerable extent within individual communities. View Full-Text
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MDPI and ACS Style
Watkins, S.C.; Sible, E.; Putonti, C. Pseudomonas PB1-Like Phages: Whole Genomes from Metagenomes Offer Insight into an Abundant Group of Bacteriophages. Viruses 2018, 10, 331.
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