Bacteriophages: co-evolving with bacteria to provide useful traits
Co-evolution of bacteriophages with bacteria
Abstract
Bacteriophages are the viruses that infect and kill bacteria. Being the most abundant biological entity, bacteriophages show enormous diversity and evolutional patterns in nature. Phage comparative genome analysis revealed the existence of genetic mosaicism among tailed phages with different segments having distinct evolutionary histories. Phages undergo either lytic or lysogenic cycle; in lysogeny, phage DNA is integrated in the bacterial genome which is then propagated along. As in any other host- pathogen system, both the phage and its bacterial host co-evolve with each other, and it is well documented that this provides many beneficial traits to bacteria, like enhanced fitness, ability to fight with pathogens, etc. This review is to highlight the advances in understanding the evolutionary patterns of bacteriophages and how they are co-evolving with bacteria to provide useful traits, particularly in controlling plant pathogenic bacteria.
Author Biography
Plant Microbe Interactions Lab
Phone: 91-11-26741612/14/17 Extn. 177
Direct: 91-11-26735177
Email: jmsgopal@nipgr.ac.in
Research interests
Understanding the mechanisms by which pathogens cause disease and plants defend themselves is an interesting area of research in modern biology. Important practical implications are emerging out from such researches which are helpful in strategizing plant diseases management to ensuring food security. Rice Sheath Blight disease caused by the Basidiomycete fungus Rhizoctoniasolani remains a threat to global sustainable agriculture and food security. It has complex biology and highly destructive lifestyle and has been reported occurring world-wide causing necrosis and damping-off on numerous plant species. The exact mechanisms by which this fungus establishes and maintains a necrotrophic interaction with their hosts is completely unknown. We endeavour to use the available genome sequences to identify and study the candidate pathogenicity determinant of the pathogen and explore their role in governing virulence and host specificity. Furthermore, we would focus on understand how this pathogen manipulate rice cellular and molecular process to establish sheath blight disease.
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