This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ashelford, K. E.
Right arrow Articles by Day, M. J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ashelford, K. E.
Right arrow Articles by Day, M. J.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Ashelford, K. E.
Right arrow Articles by Day, M. J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 1999, p. 1959-1965, Vol. 65, No. 5
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Characterization of Six Bacteriophages of Serratia liquefaciens CP6 Isolated from the Sugar Beet Phytosphere

Kevin E. Ashelford,1,* John C. Fry,1 Mark J. Bailey,2 Aaron R. Jeffries,1 and Martin J. Day1

School of Pure and Applied Biology, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF1 3TL,1 and Institute of Virology and Environmental Microbiology, National Environment Research Council, Oxford OX1 3SR,2 United Kingdom

Received 27 October 1998/Accepted 11 February 1999

Six phages (Phi CP6-1 to Phi CP6-6) that are commonly found in the phytosphere of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris var. Amethyst) were investigated, and their relative impacts on their host (Serratia liquefaciens CP6) were compared. There were fundamental differences between the two most abundant predators of CP6 (Phi CP6-1 and Phi CP6-4). Like Phi CP6-2 and Phi CP6-5, Phi CP6-1 belonged to the family Siphoviridae, while Phi CP6-4 exhibited the morphology of the family Podoviridae. The other phages were members of the family Myoviridae. DNA-DNA cross-hybridization revealed that Phi CP6-1 and Phi CP6-4 had little common DNA, although all of the other phages exhibited some genetic similarity. Like Phi CP6-2, Phi CP6-3, and Phi CP6-5, Phi CP6-1 was capable of forming a lysogenic association with its host, while Phi CP6-4 and Phi CP6-6 appeared to be entirely virulent. Single-step growth curve experiments revealed that Phi CP6-4 had a much shorter latent period and a smaller burst size than Phi CP6-1. Also, Phi CP6-1 could transduce a number of host chromosomal markers with transfer frequencies of 2.9 × 10-9 to 3.9 × 10-7, whereas Phi CP6-4 could not transduce S. liquefaciens CP6 genes. When viewed in the context of the strikingly different temporal niches of these phages, our data provide an insight into how bacteriophage interactions with their hosts might reflect the natural ecology of bacteriophages. Our data also illustrate how the potential for gene transfer changes over time in an environment that supports several different phages.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: School of Pure and Applied Biology, Cardiff University, P.O. Box 915, Cardiff CF1 3TL, United Kingdom. Phone: 44 (0)1222 874000. Fax: 44 (0)1222 874305. E-mail: ashelford{at}cardiff.ac.uk.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, May 1999, p. 1959-1965, Vol. 65, No. 5
0099-2240/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Williamson, K. E., Radosevich, M., Wommack, K. E. (2005). Abundance and Diversity of Viruses in Six Delaware Soils. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 3119-3125 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Goh, S., Riley, T. V., Chang, B. J. (2005). Isolation and Characterization of Temperate Bacteriophages of Clostridium difficile. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 1079-1083 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Chibani-Chennoufi, S., Bruttin, A., Dillmann, M.-L., Brussow, H. (2004). Phage-Host Interaction: an Ecological Perspective. J. Bacteriol. 186: 3677-3686 [Full Text]  
  • Williamson, K. E., Wommack, K. E., Radosevich, M. (2003). Sampling Natural Viral Communities from Soil for Culture-Independent Analyses. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 6628-6633 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ashelford, K. E., Day, M. J., Fry, J. C. (2003). Elevated Abundance of Bacteriophage Infecting Bacteria in Soil. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 285-289 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Ashelford, K. E., Norris, S. J., Fry, J. C., Bailey, M. J., Day, M. J. (2000). Seasonal Population Dynamics and Interactions of Competing Bacteriophages and Their Host in the Rhizosphere. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66: 4193-4199 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»