title: Phage-host interactions analysis of newly characterized Oenococcus oeni bacteriophages: Implications for malolactic fermentation in wine.
abstract: Nowadays, only few phages infecting Oenococcus oeni, the principal lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species responsible for malolactic fermentation (MLF) in wine, have been characterized. In the present study, to better understanding the factors affecting the lytic activity of Oenococcus phages, fifteen O. oeni bacteriophages have been studied in detail, both with molecular and microbiological methods. No correlations were found between genome sizes, type of integrase genes, or morphology and the lytic activity of the 15 tested phages. Interestingly, though phage attack in a wine at the end of alcoholic fermentation seems not to be a problem, it can indeed represent a risk factor for MLF when the alcohol content is low, feature that may be a key point for choosing the appropriate time for malolactic starter inoculation. Additionally, it was observed that some phages genomes bear 2 or 3 types of integrase genes, which point to horizontal gene transfer between O. oeni bacteriophages.
authors.affiliation: Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria, Centro di Ricerca per l'Enologia (CREA-ENO), Via P. Micca 35, 14100 Asti, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Costantini
authors.affiliation: Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria, Centro di Ricerca per l'Enologia (CREA-ENO), Via P. Micca 35, 14100 Asti, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Doria
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biotecnología, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Ctra. Coruna Km 7.5, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan-Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Saiz
authors.affiliation: Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria, Centro di Ricerca per l'Enologia (CREA-ENO), Via P. Micca 35, 14100 Asti, Italy.. Electronic address: emilia.garciamoruno@crea.gov.it.
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garcia-Moruno
mesh_terms: D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics*; D005285:Fermentation; D005516:Food Microbiology; D022761:Gene Transfer, Horizontal; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D019426:Integrases / Q000235:genetics; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D008293:Malates / Q000737:chemistry; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D056585:Oenococcus / Q000821:virology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014920:Wine / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D008293:Malates; D019344:Lactic Acid; C030298:malic acid; D019426:Integrases
keywords: Bacteriophage; Host-range; Integrase gene sequences; Malolactic fermentation; Oenococcus oeni; Wine