Phage-inducible chromosomal minimalist islands (PICMIs), a novel family of small marine satellites of virulent phages

Phage satellites are bacterial genetic elements that co-opt phage machinery for their own dissemination. Here we identify a family of satellites, named Phage-Inducible Chromosomal Minimalist Islands (PICMIs), that are broadly distributed in marine bacteria of the family Vibrionaceae. A typical PICMI is characterized by reduced gene content, does not encode genes for capsid remodelling, and packages its DNA as a concatemer. PICMIs integrate in the bacterial host genome next to the fis regulator, and encode three core proteins necessary for excision and replication. PICMIs are dependent on virulent phage particles to spread to other bacteria, and protect their hosts from other competitive phages without interfering with their helper phage. Thus, our work broadens our understanding of phage satellites and narrows down the minimal number of functions necessary to hijack a tailed phage.

Full Text

FilePagesSizeAccess
Publisher's official version
132 Mo
Supplementary information
204 Mo
Peer Review File
25463 Ko
Description of Additional Supplementary Files
160 Ko
Supplementary Data 1-9
-63 Ko
Supplementary Data 10
-11 Mo
Supplementary Software
-670 octets
Reporting Summary
7570 Ko
Source data file
-4 Mo
How to cite
Barcia-Cruz Rubén, Goudenège David, Moura de Sousa Jorge A., Piel Damien, Marbouty Martial, Rocha Eduardo P. C., Le Roux Frederique (2024). Phage-inducible chromosomal minimalist islands (PICMIs), a novel family of small marine satellites of virulent phages. Nature Communications. 15 (1). 664 (13p.). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44965-1, https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00873/98449/

Copy this text