Work

Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Jumbo Phage from Leaf Litter Compost and Its Suppressive Effect on Rice Seedling Rot Diseases

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Jumbo phages have DNA genomes larger than 200 kbp in large virions composed of an icosahedral head, tail, and other adsorption structures, and they are known to be abundant biological substances in nature. In this study, phages in leaf litter compost were screened for their potential to suppress rice seedling rot disease caused by the bacterium Burkholderia glumae, and a novel phage was identified in a filtrate-enriched suspension of leaf litter compost. The phage particles consisted of a rigid tailed icosahedral head and contained a DNA genome of 227,105 bp. The phage could lyse five strains of B. glumae and six strains of Burkholderia plantarii. The phage was named jumbo Burkholderia phage FLC6. Proteomic tree analysis revealed that phage FLC6 belongs to the same clade as two jumbo Ralstonia phages, namely RSF1 and RSL2, which are members of the genus Chiangmaivirus (family: Myoviridae; order: Caudovirales). Interestingly, FLC6 could also lyse two strains of Ralstonia pseudosolanacearum, the causal agent of bacterial wilt, suggesting that FLC6 has a broad host range that may make it especially advantageous as a bio-control agent for several bacterial diseases in economically important crops. The novel jumbo phage FLC6 may enable leaf litter compost to suppress several bacterial diseases and may itself be useful for controlling plant diseases in crop cultivation.

Source: Viruses

DOI: 10.3390/v13040591

Authors: Ryota Sasaki, Shuhei Miyashita, Sugihiro Ando, Kumiko Ito, Toshiyuki Fukuhara, Hideki Takahashi

Institutions: Tohoku University, Institute of Global Innovation Research (Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology), Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

Language: English

Topic: Bacteriophages and microbial interactions

Subfield: Virology

Field: Immunology and Microbiology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,376