Mechanisms of Regulation of Cryptic Prophage-Encoded Gene Products in Escherichia coli
Preethi T. Ragunathan, Evelyne Ng Kwan Lim, Xiangqian Ma, Éric Massé, Carin K. Vanderpool
Abstract
Cryptic or defective prophages have lost genes necessary to excise from the bacterial chromosome and produce phage progeny. In recent years, studies have found that cryptic prophage gene products influence diverse aspects of bacterial host cell physiology. However, to obtain a complete understanding of the relationship between cryptic prophages and the host bacterium, identification of the environmental, host, or prophage-encoded factors that induce the expression of cryptic prophage genes is crucial. In this study, we examined the regulation of a cryptic prophage operon in Escherichia coli encoding a small RNA and a small protein that are involved in inhibiting bacterial cell division, altering host metabolism, and protecting the host bacterium from phage infections.