Bacteriophage WO Can Mediate Horizontal Gene Transfer in Endosymbiotic Genomes.

Phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is common in free-living bacteria, and many transferred genes can play a significant role in their new bacterial hosts. However, there are few reports concerning phage-mediated HGT in endosymbionts (obligate intracellular bacteria within animal or plant hosts), such as . The -infecting temperate phage WO can actively shift among genomes and has the potential to mediate HGT between strains. In the present study, we extend previous findings by validating that the phage WO can mediate transfer of non-phage genes. To do so, we utilized bioinformatic, phylogenetic, and molecular analyses based on all sequenced and phage WO genomes. Our results show that the phage WO can mediate HGT between strains, regardless of whether the transferred genes originate from or other unrelated bacteria.