Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK.
Skirball Institute Program in Molecular Pathogenesis and Departments of Microbiology and Medicine, New York University Medical Center, New York, NY 10016, United States.
Curr Opin Microbiol. 2015 Feb;23:171-8. doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2014.11.019. Epub 2014 Dec 19.
Bacteriophages are types of viruses that infect bacteria. They are the most abundant and diverse entities in the biosphere, and influence the evolution of most bacterial species by promoting gene transfer, sometimes in unexpected ways. Although pac-type phages can randomly package and transfer bacterial DNA by a process called generalized transduction, some mobile genetic elements have developed elegant and sophisticated strategies to hijack the phage DNA-packaging machinery for their own transfer. Moreover, phage-like particles (gene transfer agents) have also evolved, that can package random pieces of the producing cell's genome. The purpose of this review is to give an overview of some of the various ways by which phages and phage-like particles can transfer bacterial genes, driving bacterial evolution and promoting the emergence of novel pathogens.
噬菌体是感染细菌的病毒类型。它们是生物圈中最丰富和最多样化的实体，并通过促进基因转移，有时以意想不到的方式，影响大多数细菌物种的进化。尽管 pac 型噬菌体可以通过称为普遍转导的过程随机包装和转移细菌 DNA，但一些移动遗传元件已经开发出巧妙而复杂的策略来劫持噬菌体 DNA 包装机制以进行自身转移。此外，还进化出了类似噬菌体的颗粒（基因转移剂），可以包装产生细胞基因组的随机片段。本文综述的目的是概述噬菌体和类似噬菌体的颗粒可以转移细菌基因的各种方式，从而推动细菌进化并促进新病原体的出现。
