No obvious integrase genes are encoded by ϕE12-2, GI15, or PI-E264-2, which suggests these subgroup B Myoviridae use a different mechanism Navitoclax ic50 of integration. Mu-like phages The ϕE255 genome shares ~ 90% nucleotide sequence identity with the genome of BcepMu, a Mu-like bacteriophage spontaneously

produced by Burkholderia cenocepacia strain J2315 [29]. Similar to BcepMu, the ϕE255 genome can be divided into functional clusters from the left end to the right end of the linear phage genome: replication and regulation, host lysis, head assembly, and tail assembly (Fig. 1D). ϕE255 encodes a transposase with a Rve integrase domain (gp40, PFAM PF00665) that allows transposition as a mechanism of replication. Following replicative transposition, DNA is packaged into the bacteriophage heads using a pac site at the left end of the bacteriophage genome which allows 200-2,000 bp of flanking host DNA to also be packaged [29]. The genomic selleck compound sequence of ϕE255 (accession number NC_009237) contains 467 bp of host DNA sequence (Bm ATCC23344). The left and right ends of the linear ϕE255 genome contain 23-bp imperfect direct repeats that could be recognized by gp40 during replicative transposition (Fig. 1D). These repeats are similar to those found at the ends of the BcepMu genome [29] and the nucleotide differences are underlined in Fig. 1D. Three regions

of the ϕE255 genome are not present in the BcepMu genome and appear to be ϕE255-specific (gray shading in Fig. 1D). The Forskolin unique regions are found at the left and right ends of the ϕE255 genome, which is consistent with the location C1GALT1 of unique sequences in BcepMu and other BcepMu-like prophages [29]. The two unique genes on the left side of the bacteriophage genome, gene41 and gene46, encode a conserved hypothetical protein and a lambda C1 repressor-like transcriptional regulator, respectively (Fig. 1D). These proteins are presumably involved in ϕE255 activation and/or replication. Five unique

genes are encoded on the extreme right end of the ϕE255 genome, including genes 26-30 (Fig. 1D). Gp26 encodes a putative tail fiber protein which presumably is required for attachment and probably provides host receptor specificity to this bacteriophage. It is interesting that this gene, and the downstream tail assembly chaperone protein (gp27), are the only tail assembly genes that are not conserved in BcepMu. This suggests that the BcepMu receptor(s) on B. cenocepacia is distinct from the ϕE255 receptor(s) on B. thailandensis and B. mallei. Furthermore, it suggests that the unique tail fiber protein and a tail assembly chaperone protein (gp27) were either acquired by ϕE255 via horizontal transfer or lost by BcepMu. Gp28 is a hypothetical protein with no functional prediction, but gp29 is a putative ABC (ATP-binding cassette) transporter protein (Fig. 1D). It is possible that ϕE255 gp29 is involved in the import of a nutrient or export of toxic metabolites that confers a selective advantage on the lysogen harboring it.