Recombination Events in Putative Tail Fibre Gene in <i>Litunavirus</i> Phages Infecting <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> and Their Phylogenetic Consequences
2022
Marcin Górniak | Aleksandra Zalewska | Agata Jurczak-Kurek
Recombination is the main driver of bacteriophage evolution. It may serve as a tool for extending the phage host spectrum, which is significant not only for phages’ ecology but also for their utilisation as therapeutic agents of bacterial infections. The aim of this study was to detect the recombination events in the genomes of <i>Litunavirus</i> phages infecting <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>, and present their impact on phylogenetic relations within this phage group. The phylogenetic analyses involved: the whole-genome, core-genome (<i>Schitoviridae</i> conserved genes), variable genome region, and the whole-genome minus variable region. Interestingly, the recombination events taking place in the putative host recognition region (tail fibre protein gene and the adjacent downstream gene) significantly influenced tree topology, suggesting a strong phylogenetic signal. Our results indicate the recombination between phages from two genera <i>Litunavirus</i> and <i>Luzeptimavirus</i> and demonstrate its influence on phage phylogeny.
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