Characterization of prophages of Lactococcus garvieae

Abstract

This report describes the morphological characterization and genome analysis of an induced prophage (PLg-TB25) from a dairy strain of Lactococcus garvieae. The phage belongs to the Siphoviridae family and its morphology is typical of other lactococcal phages. A general analysis of its genome did not reveal similarities with other lactococcal phage genomes, confirming its novelty. However, similarities were found between genes of its morphogenesis cluster and genes of Gram-positive bacteria, suggesting that this phage genome resulted from recombination events that took place in a heterogeneous microbial environment. An in silico search for other prophages in 16 L. garvieae genomes available in public databases, uncovered eight seemingly complete prophages in strains isolated from dairy and fish niches. Genome analyses of these prophages revealed three novel L. garvieae phages. The remaining prophages had homology to phages of Lactococcus lactis (P335 group) suggesting a close relationship between these lactococcal species. The similarity in GC content of L. garvieae prophages to the genomes of L. lactis phages further supports the hypothesis that these phages likely originated from the same ancestor.

Evidence of pediatric sepsis caused by a drug resistant Lactococcus garvieae contaminated platelet concentrate

“…The three L. garvieae genomes also contained the PLg-TB25 temperate prophage (coverage: 71.19%), recently described as a non-virulent prophage from a dairy strain of L. garvieae [ 42 ], thus confirming the genetic relatedness of the three L. garvieae strains highlighted by the phylogenetic tree. This prophage carries with it several enzymes, such as resolvase and helicase, promoting exogenous DNA integration into the bacterial chromosome, and thus, paying an active role in acquiring and fixing genetic elements going under positive selection.…”

Comprehensive Scanning of Prophages in Lactobacillus : Distribution, Diversity, Antibiotic Resistance Genes, and Linkages with CRISPR-Cas Systems

“…Prophages are also widely distributed among probiotic strains commonly used in dairy fermentation, such as Lactococcus ( 17 ), Bifidobacterium ( 18 ), and Lactobacillus . Ventura et al ( 19 ) reported at least four prophage-like entities in the genome of a single strain of Lactobacillus plantarum .…”

In Silico Evidence of the Multifunctional Features of Lactiplantibacillus pentosus LPG1, a Natural Fermenting Agent Isolated from Table Olive Biofilms

“…The prophage contains the necessary information to induce a lytic cycle, a viral reproduction method that involves the destruction of infected cells and that is usually induced in response to stress conditions [100,101]. The presence of prophages in bacterial strains with probiotic potential isolated from the fermentation process is common [102][103][104]. Furthermore, prophages are a source of new genes added to the genome, in some cases providing new features in the bacterial genomes [105,106].…”