Crystal structure and expression of a putative phage-like protein coded in the genome of a marine antarctic bacteria

LEONARDO PELLIZZA; MARTÍN ARÁN; SEBASTIAN KLINKE; JIMENA RINALDI; GABRIELA SYCZ; CLARA SMAL; FERNANDO GOLDBAUM; DANIEL O. CICERO; JOSÉ L. LÓPEZ; BEATRIZ G. GUIMARAES; ESTEBAN LANZAROTI; ADRIANTURJANSKI; SUSANA VAZQUEZ; WALTER P. MAC CORMACK

Congreso; 6TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON POLAR AND ALPINE; 2015

The genomic sequencing of the marine bacterium Bizionia argentinensis (B.a), isolated from Antarctic surface water, has promoted the interest to know the functionality of their gene content. As part of this goal, we arestudying the presence of a protein (that we called C24) showing  structural homology with a T4 phage tail fiber protein. As it was previously reported that approximately 70% of sequenced bacterial genomes contain prophage-like structures, this finding of C24 suggested us the presence of genetic elements of the type of the prophages inthe genome of B.a. Some prophages may contain morons or lysogenic conversion genes that could change the phenotype or enhance the ecological fitness of lysogens. Bacterial viruses represent one of three major mobile genetic elements and contribute significantly to horizontal gene transfer in bacterial genomes. However little is known about the characteristics, function and ecological relevance of marine phages. For this reason, in this work we search for the presence of prophages in a recently sequenced marine Antarctic bacterium.