Nine Novel Cluster E Mycobacteriophages Isolated from Soil

Abstract

Novel mycobacteriophages FireRed, MISSy, MPhalcon, Murica, Sassay, Terminus, Willez, YassJohnny, and Youngblood were isolated from soil samples on the host Mycobacterium smegmatis. Transmission electron microscopy revealed phage structures suggestive of the Siphoviridae family of phages. Phage genomes were sequenced and annotated, revealing that they belong to actinobacteriophage Cluster E. Here, we describe the features of these phage genomes and discuss their similarity to previously discovered cluster E phages. Mycobacteriophages were isolated by undergraduates in the Research Immersion in Virology course-based undergraduate research experience in the Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Department at UCLA. This project was funded by the Dean of Life Sciences Division at UCLA, with additional support for sequencing from the HHMI Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science (SEA-PHAGES) program. We thank Krisanavane Reddi for preparation of materials, lysate archiving, and management of the instructional laboratories; Hong Zhou of the UCLA Electron Imaging Center for NanoMachines for electron microscopy support; Rebecca A. Garlena and Daniel A. Russell at the Pittsburgh Bacteriophage Institute for phage sequencing and assistance with genome assembly;and Debbie Jacobs-Sera, Welkin Pope, Graham Hatfull, and the SEA-PHAGES community for programmatic support.