We aim to investigate the cellular organisation and regulation of the viral infection cycle with the main focus on the lysogeny management system of phage SPβ, a prophage of the Gram-positive model organism B. subtilis 168. This phage carries a novel, complex and previously unseen lysogeny management system. Its sophistication has already been demonstrated through the discovery of the arbitrium system (decision making), the initial step of lysogeny establishment.
Associated publications
Kohm, K., Floccari, V.A., Lutz, V.T., Nordmann, B., Mittelstädt, C., Poehlein, A., Dragoš, A., Commichau, F.M., and Hertel, R. (2022). The Bacillus phage SPβ and its relatives: a temperate phage model system reveals new strains, species, prophage integration loci, conserved proteins and lysogeny management components. Environ. Microbiol. 24, 2098–2118. (https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.15964)
Kohm K and Hertel R (2021) The life cycle of SPβ and related phages. Arch Virol 166: 2119–2130.