Microbial Genome Sequencing: Sequencing Genomes of the T4-like Myoviridae

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The T4-like Myoviridae are a large group of bacterial viruses that resemble the Escherichia coli phage T4. Their DNA genomes range in size between 169,000 and 250,000 base-pairs and are believed to contain a record of the extent of genetic diversity in the microbial world. The broad host range of these phages and the mosaic organizations of their genomes suggest that they have played important roles as vehicles for lateral transfer of genetic cassettes between organisms in the biosphere. This project will result in the sequencing of 15 highly diverged members of this group, including the genomes of T4-like phages that infect Aeromonas, Burkholderia, Acinetobacter, Vibrio and marine bacterial species. It is expected that results of this project will yield clues about the factors that create, maintain and exploit microbial diversity during evolution. The methods of analysis to be used include novel DNA sequencing strategies that generate data quickly and at low cost. Automated computer programs are then used to assemble sequence data and to predict the structures and biological functions of the gene products (RNA and protein molecules) that are encoded by each of these genomes. Information from this project is being deposited in a publicly accessible interactive genome browser on a computer server at Tulane University, as well as in the NCBI database, GenBank. Between them, the Tulane and NCBI databases allow a wide variety of interactive evaluations of project data by the scientific community at large. In addition to providing information about gene swapping in nature, the project is yielding numerous clues about the structures and functions of the proteins and nucleic acids that determine individuality (specificity) of DNA replication and gene expression (transcription and translation) in different organisms. Thus, this project is expected to have a broad impact on scientific discovery and understanding of molecular evolution.