Embracing the enemy: the diversification of microbial gene repertoires by phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer

Marie Touchon (1) , Jorge A Moura de Sousa (1) , Eduardo P. C. Rocha (1)

1 Génomique évolutive des Microbes / Microbial Evolutionary Genomics

Bacteriophages and archaeal viruses contribute, through lysogenic conversion or transduction, to the horizontal transfer of genetic material between cellular genomes. Recent works using a variety of approaches have shown that lysogenic conversion is widespread and provides hosts with adaptive traits often associated with biotic interactions. The quantification of the evolutionary impact of transduction has lagged behind and still requires further theoretical and experimental work. Nevertheless, recent studies have suggested that generalized transduction could play a role in the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes and in gene acquisition during intra-specific competition. Phage-mediated horizontal transfer has specific characteristics that complement other mechanisms of transfer. Notably, they could play a key role in the spread of adaptive genes between communities.

Keywords: Bacteriophages; horizontal gene transfer; bacterial evolution; mobile genetic elements; transduction

Domains: Populations and Evolution [q-bio.PE]; Bacteriology; Genomics [q-bio.GN]; Populations and Evolution [q-bio.PE]

Marie Touchon, Jorge A Moura de Sousa, Eduardo P. C. Rocha. Embracing the enemy: the diversification of microbial gene repertoires by phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer. Current Opinion in Microbiology, 2017, 38, pp.66-73. ⟨10.1016/j.mib.2017.04.010⟩. ⟨pasteur-03111100⟩