Host physiological status determines phage-like particle distribution in the lysate

• Published in: FEMS microbiology ecology Vol. 55; no. 1; pp. 136 - 145
• Main Authors: Gnezda-Meijer, Kaja, Mahne, Ivan, Poljs̆ak-Prijatelj, Mateja, Stopar, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-01-2006; Blackwell Science Ltd; Blackwell; Oxford University Press
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Bacteria; Bacteriophages - isolation & purification; Bacteriophages - physiology; Bacteriophages - ultrastructure; Batch culture; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon; Culture Media; Ecology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Growth conditions; Growth rate; host physiology; Latent period; Lysates; Lysogeny; Microbial ecology; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Mitomycin - pharmacology; Mitomycin C; Organic carbon; Organic matter; Particle size distribution; Peptones; phage induction; Phages; phage‐like particle diversity; Physiology; Population growth; Prophages; Rods; Salinity; Salinity effects; Size distribution; Sodium chloride; Substrates; Temperature; Vibrio - drug effects; Vibrio - growth & development; Vibrio - virology; Virology; Virus Replication; Viruses; Waterborne diseases; Yeast; Yeasts; lysogeny; host physiology; phage-like particle diversity; phage induction; latent period; Physiological condition; Microbiology; Induction; Ecology; Host; Biodiversity; Virus; Particle; Latent; Physiology; Phage
• ISSN: 0168-6496; 1574-6941
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2005.00008.x

Abstract
Bacteriophage morphotype diversity and latent period duration upon induction were correlated with the host population growth. The prophages of the lysogenic Vibrio sp. (DSM14379) were induced with mitomycin C in a batch culture with different salinity, substrate concentration or composition, and at different temperatures. Under all experimental conditions, phages were induced and a population of different complete and incomplete phage-like particles was observed in the lysate. Under favorable growth conditions, the phage-like particle community in the lysate was overpopulated with phage tail-like rigid rods. The number of rods was reduced in samples with low organic carbon concentration, samples with 8% and 10% NaCl, and samples induced at 40 and 43°C. Although all lysates contained all phage-like particle-size fractions, their relative abundances varied. Up to a fivefold difference in phage-like particle size was observed in lysates. Size distribution of phage-like particles changed along temperature, salinity and organic carbon gradients. Results also indicated that the latent period of the induced phage-like particle population converged to approximately 90 min above a growth rate of 1.0 h−1. At lower host growth rates, the latent period generally increased. However, at 40 and 43°C and at low peptone–yeast extract concentration in the growth medium, the latent period remained short. We propose that different host physiological conditions influence organic matter composition upon prophage induction and may thus affect virus-controlled flow of the energy and carbon in the ecosystem.