title: 'Big things in small packages: the genetics of filamentous phage and effects on fitness of their host'.
abstract: This review synthesizes recent and past observations on filamentous phages and describes how these phages contribute to host phentoypes. For example, the CTXφ phage of Vibrio cholerae encodes the cholera toxin genes, responsible for causing the epidemic disease, cholera. The CTXφ phage can transduce non-toxigenic strains, converting them into toxigenic strains, contributing to the emergence of new pathogenic strains. Other effects of filamentous phage include horizontal gene transfer, biofilm development, motility, metal resistance and the formation of host morphotypic variants, important for the biofilm stress resistance. These phages infect a wide range of Gram-negative bacteria, including deep-sea, pressure-adapted bacteria. Many filamentous phages integrate into the host genome as prophage. In some cases, filamentous phages encode their own integrase genes to facilitate this process, while others rely on host-encoded genes. These differences are mediated by different sets of 'core' and 'accessory' genes, with the latter group accounting for some of the mechanisms that alter the host behaviours in unique ways. It is increasingly clear that despite their relatively small genomes, these phages exert signficant influence on their hosts and ultimately alter the fitness and other behaviours of their hosts.
authors: The Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation and the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, the University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia.
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Mai-Prochnow
authors: The Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation and the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, the University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia.
authors: Janice Gee Kay
authors: JG
authors: Hui
authors: The Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation and the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, the University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia The Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and the School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637551, Singapore.
authors: Staffan
authors: S
authors: Kjelleberg
authors: Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
authors: Jasna
authors: J
authors: Rakonjac
authors: The Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation and the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, the University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia The Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and the School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637551, Singapore.
authors: Diane
authors: D
authors: McDougald
authors: The Centre for Marine Bio-Innovation and the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, the University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia The Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering and the School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 637551, Singapore rscott@ntu.edu.sg.
authors: Scott A
authors: SA
authors: Rice
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000821:virology*; D018441:Biofilms; D005814:Genes, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017912:Inovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D050296:Microbial Viability; D010641:Phenotype
keywords: CTX phage; Escherichia coli; Ff; Inoviridae; Inovirus; M13; Pseudomonas; Vibrio cholerae; bacteriophage; biotechnology; filamentous phage