Talia Backman, Sergio M Latorre, Efthymia Symeonidi, Artur Muszyński, Ella Bleak, Lauren Eads, Paulina I Martinez-Koury, Sarita Som, Aubrey Hawks, Andrew D Gloss, David M Belnap, Allison M Manuel, Adam M Deutschbauer, Joy Bergelson, Parastoo Azadi, Hernán A Burbano, Talia L Karasov
UNLABELLED: Bacteriophages, the viruses of bacteria, are proposed to drive bacterial population dynamics, yet direct evidence of their impact on natural populations is limited. Here we identified viral sequences in a metapopulation of wild plant-associated Pseudomonas spp. genomes. We discovered that the most abundant viral cluster does not encode an intact phage but instead encodes a tailocin - a phage-derived element that bacteria use to kill competitors for interbacterial warfare. Each pathogenic Pseudomonas sp...
February 2, 2024: bioRxiv