Speaker
Description
Free-living bacteria often harbor multiple prophages integrated into their genomes, where these elements can cooperate to provide beneficial functions to their host. However, the peaceful coexistence among prophages ends if the host experiences genotoxic stress or other conditions that trigger the phage lytic cycle. Upon induction, prophages enter a competitive state. Phage competition comes in different flavors, but a common denominator is the struggle for cellular resources. The nature of the resource(s) that become rate-limiting for viral reproduction has remained elusive. I will present and discuss evidence that prophages begin competing even before excising from the chromosome, with the primary goal being the highjacking of the host’s DNA replication machinery.
