ArticleGenome research2007
Causes for the intriguing presence of tRNAs in phages.
Article in Genome research, 2007. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 257 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
257 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 388 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Bacteriophage vB_SalS_KY05 controlsThe veterinary quarterly · 2026Article
- Identification and Genomic Characterization of a Novel Teseptimavirus Species (vB_EcoP_S37A) and a Mosigvirus Phage (vB_EcoM_S37) Infecting Swine Extraintestinal PathogenicVeterinary sciences · 2026Article
- Eradication of catheter-associated MDR Acinetobacter baumannii biofilms mediated by novel phage encoded depolymerase activity.NPJ biofilms and microbiomes · 2026Article
- WaaL-WaaP receptor cross-talk drives phage-induced collateral sensitivity to colistin in Salmonella Pullorum.Veterinary research · 2026Article
- A genomic catalog of the mouse gut virome reveals features associated with ageing.Nature communications · 2026Article
- High-quality phage assembly from metagenomes with PALACE.Nature biotechnology · 2026Article
- Genomic and phenotypic characterization of novel jumbo and small bacteriophages infectingMicrobiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Isolation of a Novel Lytic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Phage Henu5 and Fitness Costs of Phage-Driven Resistance.Microbial biotechnology · 2026Article
- Isolation and characterization of a novel lytic phage Artin targeting typhoidal and nontyphoidal Salmonella and evaluation of its antibacterial efficacy in food.Virology journal · 2026Article
- tRNA modifications in viral replication.The Journal of biological chemistry · 2026Review
- Genomic analysis of prophages from Burkholderia gladioli exposes extensive genetic diversity.BMC genomics · 2026Article
- Phage homing endonuclease amplifies anti-defense genes to evade bacterial immunity.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Article
- Comparative morphological, genomic, and functional characterization of two newly isolated lytic caudoviricetes phages targeting Escherichia coli and Salmonella.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- A comprehensive computational analysis investigating the relationships between phage codon usage, infection style, and number of tRNA genes.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Characterization and evaluation of a phage cocktail targeting Salmonella enterica in a Turkey farm.BMC microbiology · 2026Article
- Isolation and Characterization of the Polyvalent Enterobacteria-Infecting Phage Cit2 with Potential for Biocontrol Applications.ACS omega · 2026Article
- Characterization, genomic analysis, and decontamination application of a novel Vibrio phage BUCT787 on salmon fillets.Applied microbiology and biotechnology · 2026Article
- Prophage: agent provocateur?Archives of microbiology · 2026Review
197 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Phages have highly compact genomes with sizes reflecting their capacity to exploit the host resources. Here, we investigate the reasons for tRNAs being the only translation-associated genes frequently found in phages. We were able to unravel the selective processes shaping the tRNA distribution in phages by analyzing their genomes and those of their hosts. We found ample evidence against tRNAs being selected to facilitate phage integration in the prokaryotic chromosomes. Conversely, there is a significant association between tRNA distribution and codon usage. We support this observation by introducing a master equation model, where tRNAs are randomly gained from their hosts and then lost either neutrally or according to a set of different selection mechanisms. Those tRNAs present in phages tend to correspond to codons that are simultaneously highly used by the phage genes, while rare in the host genome. Accordingly, we propose that a selective recruitment of tRNAs compensates for the compositional differences between the phage and the host genomes. To further understand the importance of these results in phage biology, we analyzed the differences between temperate and virulent phages. Virulent phages contain more tRNAs than temperate ones, higher codon usage biases, and more important compositional differences with respect to the host genome. These differences are thus in perfect agreement with the results of our master equation model and further suggest that tRNA acquisition may contribute to higher virulence. Thus, even though phages use most of the cell's translation machinery, they can complement it with their own genetic information to attain higher fitness. These results suggest that similar selection pressures may act upon other cellular essential genes that are being found in the recently uncovered large viruses.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.