The Significance of Mutualistic Phages for Bacterial Ecology and Evolution

Bacteria and phages have traditionally been viewed as ‘antagonists’. However, temperate phages can transfer genes, which can broaden their bacterial hosts’ metabolic repertoire, confer or enhance virulence, or eliminate competing organisms, and so enhance bacterial fitness. Recent evidence shows tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in microbiology (Regular ed.) 2016-06, Vol.24 (6), p.440-449
Main Authors: Obeng, Nancy, Pratama, Akbar Adjie, Elsas, Jan Dirk van
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
arms race
Bacteria
Bacteria - genetics
Bacteria - immunology
Bacteria - metabolism
Bacteria - virology
Bacteriophages - genetics
Bacteriophages - pathogenicity
Bacteriophages - physiology
biofilm
Biofilms - growth & development
Biological Coevolution
co-evolution
CRISPR-Cas
CRISPR-Cas Systems
Ecology
Evolution, Molecular
Genome, Viral
Host-Pathogen Interactions - genetics
Host-Pathogen Interactions - physiology
Internal Medicine
mutualism
phage
Phenotype
Symbiosis
Virulence
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Summary:Bacteria and phages have traditionally been viewed as ‘antagonists’. However, temperate phages can transfer genes, which can broaden their bacterial hosts’ metabolic repertoire, confer or enhance virulence, or eliminate competing organisms, and so enhance bacterial fitness. Recent evidence shows that phages can also promote biofilm formation leading to population-level benefits for their bacterial hosts. Here, we provide a perspective on the ecological and evolutionary consequences for the bacteria interacting with phages, when phage and host interests are aligned. Furthermore, we examine the question whether bacterial hosts can lower immune barriers to phage infection, thereby facilitating infection by beneficial phages. Taking recent evidence together, we suggest that in many cases temperate phages are to be considered as being mutualistic as well as parasitic, at the same time.
ISSN:0966-842X
1878-4380
DOI:10.1016/j.tim.2015.12.009