| Title: |
Genomic, Evolutionary and Phenotypic Insights into Pseudomonas Phage Adele, a Novel Pakpunavirus with Potential for Phage Therapy |
| Authors: |
Andrei V. Chaplin; George A. Skvortsov; Nina N. Sykilinda; Konstantin S. Troshin; Anna A. Vasilyeva; Artem A. Malkov; Maria R. Leont’eva; Konstantin A. Miroshnikov; Mikhail A. Yaitsky; Dmitriy A. Shagin; Boris A. Efimov; Lyudmila I. Kafarskaia; Sergei K. Komarevtsev; Peter V. Evseev |
| Source: |
Viruses ; Volume 18 ; Issue 1 ; Pages: 42 |
| Publisher Information: |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Collection: |
MDPI Open Access Publishing |
| Subject Terms: |
phage; phage evolution; Pakpunavirus; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pseudomonas phages; phage genomics; phage therapy; antimicrobial resistance |
| Description: |
Bacteriophages are powerful drivers of microbial evolution and are increasingly explored as alternatives to antibiotics against multidrug-resistant pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here, we describe the isolation, phenotypic characterization and genomic, structural and evolutionary analysis of Pseudomonas phage Adele, a lytic myovirus representing a novel species within the genus Pakpunavirus (family Vandenendeviridae). Phage Adele exhibits a short latent period of 20 min, a burst size of 59 ± 11 virions per infected cell and a high virulence index, efficiently lysing non-O11 Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains and reducing biofilm biomass. In vivo, Adele confers marked protection in a Galleria mellonella infection model. Phylogenetic reconstruction, synteny analysis and structural modeling demonstrate the relatedness of Vandenendeviridae to phages of the Andersonviridae and Vequintavirinae clades, pointing to a stable, ancestral virion architecture that has undergone lineage-specific elaborations, including the duplication and divergence of tail tube proteins. The tail assembly chaperone gene employs a conserved −1 programmed ribosomal frameshift. Phage Adele encodes an elaborate set of metabolic reprogramming and anti-defense systems, reflecting extensive horizontal gene transfer. The combination of a conserved structural architecture and mosaic genome establishes Adele as an exemplary system for studying modular evolution in phages, alongside its demonstrated therapeutic efficacy. |
| Document Type: |
text |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
Bacterial Viruses; https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v18010042 |
| DOI: |
10.3390/v18010042 |
| Availability: |
https://doi.org/10.3390/v18010042 |
| Rights: |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.1697C2EE |
| Database: |
BASE |