Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii is a bacterial phytopathogen that causes the disease Stewart's wilt in corn. The insect vector Chaetocnema pulicaria, the corn flea beetle, transmits P. stewartii into corn plants through wounds in the leaves. The bacteria can then move to the xylem of the plant where they form a biofilm that inhibits the flow of water. A previous in planta RNA-Seq study resulted in the selection of lrp as a gene of interest for further analyses. A reverse genetics approach was used for the creation of a strain containing the in-frame deletion of lrp, as well as a revertant strain. The strain with the deletion of the lrp gene showed reduced motility and capsule formation when in vitro assays were conducted. It has previously been demonstrated that these characteristics are both important for the bacteria's ability to form a biofilm in the xylem of corn plants and produce disease symptoms. The in planta virulence and competition assays demonstrated that the lrp gene deletion also results in reduced disease symptoms in infected corn plants, as well as an inability to outcompete wildtype P. stewartii in xylem colonization. In a bioinformatics approach, the transcriptional regulator Lrp of P. stewartii was present in the same node of the phylogeny as homologues from other closely related phytopathogens. This demonstrates that Lrp from P. stewartii and such homologues have evolved from a recent common ancestral gene. Examining the genomic islands present in P. stewartii, it is possible to begin to predict where some of the genes which have functions involved in plant colonization may have originated. Overall, the results collected from the studies in this thesis contribute to improving understanding of how P. stewartii is successful at colonizing the xylem of corn plants and cause disease. This research could result in the development of methods to decrease crop susceptibility to infection with P. stewartii. / Master of Science / Stewart's wilt is a disease of corn plants caused by the bacterium Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii via the insect vector Chaetocnema pulicaria, the corn flea beetle. This infection has proven to be costly as it impacts the health of corn crops and impedes the export of corn seeds from varieties that are susceptible to infection by P. stewartii. The focus of the research conducted for this thesis has been on learning more about how specific P. stewartii genes impact the ability of the bacterium to colonize corn plants and cause Stewart's wilt disease symptoms. The information collected from this study is important for developing a better understanding of how wilt disease-causing pathogens are able to successfully infect plants, as well as for developing future treatments to prevent further infection of corn plants. In addition, preliminary bioinformatics work has shown that some of the P. stewartii genes of interest share a common ancestor with select genes from other known plant pathogens. Additional preliminary bioinformatics work on regions of the DNA called genomic islands has revealed where some genes of importance to the bacterium's ability to colonize plants may have originated. Overall, the work presented in this thesis contributes to improving our understanding of the roles that different parts of the P. stewartii genome have in allowing the bacterium to successfully colonize and cause disease in corn plants.

Yes / Pantoea stewartii strain M073a is a Gram-negative bacterium isolated from a tropical waterfall. This strain exhibits quorum-sensing activity. Here, the assembly and annotation of its genome are presented. / High Impact Research Grants from the University of Malaya (UM.C/625/1/HIR/MOHE/CHAN/01, grant no. A-000001-50001 and UM-MOHE HIR Grant UM.C/625/1/HIR/MOHE/ CHAN/14/1, no. H-50001-A000027)

Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii is the causative agent of Stewart's wilt disease in maize plants. The bacteria are injected into the plant by corn flea beetles during feeding. They colonize the xylem and overproduce a capsular exopolysaccharide (EPS) at high cell densities. The production of EPS is regulated by an EsaI/EsaR quorum sensing mechanism, homologous to the LuxI/R system. Although activation of the EPS encoding genes by EsaR occurs after it complexes to the AHL (3-oxo-C6-HSL), unlike the LuxI/R system, this activation occurs by a different mechanism. At low cell densities, dimerized EsaR acts as a repressor. At a high cell population, derepression of the EPS genes occurs via an unknown mechanism once the AHL complexes to EsaR. Hence, a random mutagenesis genetic approach to isolate EsaR* variants that are immune to the effects of AHL has been utilized. Error-prone PCR and site-directed mutagenesis were used to generate desired mutants, which were subsequently screened for their ability to repress transcription in the presence of AHL. Several individual amino acids playing a critical role in the AHL-insensitive phenotype have been identified and mapped onto a homology model of EsaR. A separate study attempted to localize the dimerization region and analyze the stability of the N-terminal domain of EsaR. Truncations of EsaR at amino acids 169 and 178, without and with the extended linker region respectively, were generated using PCR. Dimerization assays similar to those by Choi and Greenberg in 1991 were performed but proved to be unsuccessful. However, the N-terminal domain is stable as determined by western blotting, which may facilitate its future structural analysis. Together, these efforts have contributed to the molecular understanding of AHL-dependent derepression of EsaR. / Master of Science

Parmi les 24 espèces de Pantoea décrites à nos jours, cinq ont été signalées jusqu'à 46 fois dans 21 pays comme phytopathogènes d'au moins 31 cultures. En effet, P. ananatis et P. agglomerans ont été signalés comme bactéries phytopathogènes pour au moins dix cultures économiquement importantes, y compris le riz. Récemment, le Centre du riz pour l'Afrique et ses partenaires ont soupçonné la présence d'une bactérie émergente qui provoque le flétrissement bactérienne du riz dans plusieurs pays africains, et l'agent causal a été confirmé comme appartenant au genre Pantoea. Les objectifs de notre projet de thèse étaient (i) d'améliorer la collection d'isolats d’AfricaRice existante par de nouvelles collections (ii) de développer des outils de diagnostic et de caractérisations pour une analyse fine de la diversité génétique, phénotypique et des études d’épidémio-suivaillance. Nos résultats ont montré que les bactéries capables de produire des symptômes de flétrissement bactérien du riz en Afrique forment un complexe d'espèces composé principalement de P. ananatis, P. stewartii et P. agglomerans. Différents types d'outils de diagnostic et de caractérisations ont ensuite été développés et validés. Les résultats de l'utilisation de ces outils ont permis de mettre en évidence la présence de ce complexe bactérien dans plusieurs pays Africains et de fournir des détails sur sa repartition géographique. Ainsi, au total, nous avons diagnostiqué un complexe d'espèces bactériennes, phytopathogènes du riz dans 11 pays africains (Bénin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sénégal, Tanzanie, Togo). En outre, l'analyse de trois génomes de P. ananatis Africain isolé du riz, et le développement, l'évaluation et l'application d'outils d'analyse VNTR à locus multiples (MLVA) ont permis de mieux comprendre les relations phylogénétiques et phylogénomiques existant entre les souches de P. ananatis isolées du riz et des souches d' autres sources (plantes, animaux et environnement). En effet, les résultats préliminaires ont montré que plusieurs souches de P. ananatis isolées du riz en Afrique, en Asie et en Europe étaient phylogénétiquement liées et formaient un groupe qui les différenciait de P. ananatis d'autres sources. En conclusion, les résultats de ce projet de thèse fournissent une base solide qui facilitera les futures études de Pantoea spp en Afrique. / Among the 24 species of Pantoea described so far, five have been reported up to 46 times in 21 countries as phytopathogens of at least 31 crops. Indeed, P. ananatis and P. agglomerans have been reported as phytopathogenic bacteria for at least ten economically important crops, including rice. Recently, Africa Rice Center and its partners have suspected the presence of an emerging bacterium that causes rice bacterial blight in several African countries, and the causal agent has been confirmed as belonging to the genus Pantoea. The objectives of our thesis project were (i) to improve the collection of existing AfricaRice isolates by new collections (ii) to develop diagnostic and characterization tools for fine analysis of genetic, phenotypic and epidemio-follow-up studies. Our results showed that bacteria capable of producing bacterial blight symptoms of rice in Africa form a species complex composed mainly of P. ananatis, P. stewartii and P. agglomerans. Different types of diagnostic tools and characterizations were then developed and validated. The results from the use of these tools helped to point out the presence of this bacterial complex in several African countries and to provide details on its geographical structure. Thus, in total, we diagnosed a bacterial species complex, phytopathogenic of rice in 11 African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo). In addition, analyzes of three genomes of african P. ananatis and the development, evaluation, and application of Multiple Locus VNTR Analysis (MLVA) tools provided insights into the phylogenetic and phylogenomic relationships that exist between P. ananatis strains isolated from rice and strains from other sources (plants, animals and environment). Indeed, preliminary results showed that several strains of P. ananatis isolated from rice in Africa, Asia and Europe were phylogenetically linked and formed a group that differentiated them from P. ananatis from other sources. In conclusion, the results of this thesis project provide a solid foundation that will facilitate future studies of Pantoea spp in Africa.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:37:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 372194 bytes, checksum: 1ce7a898936fa3c0ddc79d75753c89e2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-07-27 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The main objectives of this work were to identify the causal agent of the maize White Spot, to obtain preliminary information on the disease dispersal in the field and to characterize the reaction of maize hybrids and inbreds to the disease. For the etiological studies, isolations were performed from white spot lesions the anasarca phase, resulting in the development of bacterial colonies. Maize hybrids BRS2022, BRS1010, 1D2195, BRS1040, BRS1035, BRS1031, BRS3025, BRS1030, 2B710 e P30F35 and inbred lines L3, L228-3, 521274, 521236 e 262841-1-4-1 were evaluated under natural epidemic in a randomized block design with three replications. Cultivars were planted in single row plots, separated by two rows of the resistant hybrid BRS1010. Spreader rows were formed by planting the susceptible genotype DAS657 0,5 m apart and in front of each block. Disease severity was evaluated at a weekly internal starting 60 days after planting, through a 1 to 9 scale of disease severity where 1= no disease and 9= 100% of leaf area affected. Ratings were taken at three different locations within each plot: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 meters inoculum source. Data were used for the calculation of the area under disease progress curve (AUDPC), disease severity at 50% of epidemic development (Y50), disease severity at the end of the epidemic, and the rate of disease progress. Inoculations on the susceptible hybrid DAS657, in the greenhouse, reproduced the typical symptoms of the disease. Re-isolations from theses lesions confirmed the presence of the same bacteria isolated from the field, which identified as Pantoea ananatis, confirming previous reports on the involvement of this bacteria in the initial lesions of this disease. No disease gradient was observed based on the disease severity observed in each point of evaluation within each plot. A better distinction between the level of resistance of maize genotypes was obtained through AUDPC and Ymáx values. Maize hybrids BRS1030, BRS1035 and BRS1010 and inbreds L3, and L228-3 were the most resistant genotypes. These inbred lines may be useful in breeding programs for resistance to maize white spot. / Este trabalho objetivou confrimar o agente causal da mancha-branca do milho, obter informações preliminares sobre a dispersão do patógeno e caracterizar a reação de genótipos de milho a doença. Para o estudo etiológico, isolados foram obtidos de lesões de manchabranca em fase de anasarca, resultando em desenvolvimento de colônias bacterianas. Híbridos de milho, BRS2022, BRS1010, 1D2195, BRS1040, BRS1035, BRS1031, BRS3025, BRS1030, 2B710 e P30F35 e as linhagens L3, L228-3, 521274, 521236 e 262841-1-4-1 foram avaliados sob epidemia natural em delineamento de blocos ao acaso e três repetições. Os cultivares foram plantados em fileiras de cinco metros, separadas por uma linha do híbrido resistente BRS1010. A cortina suscetível (fonte de inóculo) formada pelo híbrido DAS657, foi plantada na parte frontal de cada bloco, afastada 0,5 m. A severidade da doença foi avaliada em intervalos semanais a partir dos 60 dias do plantio, utilizando uma escala de 1 a 9, onde: 1= sem doença e 9= 100% de área foliar afetada. As avaliações foram realizadas em 6 pontos dentro da parcela afastados 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 e 6 metros da fonte de inóculo. Os dados de severidade foram usados para o calculo da área abaixo da curva de progresso da doença (AACPD), severidade da doença na metade da epidemia (Y50), severidade da doença no final da epidemia (Ymáx), e taxa de progresso da doença. Com inoculações em híbrido suscetível DAS657, em casa de vegetação, foi possível reproduzir os sintomas típicos da doença. Reisolamento a partir dessas lesões confirmou a presença da mesma bactéria isolada do campo, identificada como Pantoea ananatis, corroborando relatos do envolvimento desta bactéria nos sintomas iniciais da doença. Não foi observada a formação de um gradiente de dispersão baseado na severidade da doença observada em cada ponto de avaliação dentro da parcela. A melhor distinção entre os níveis de resistência de genótipos de milho foi obtida pelos valores de AACPD e Ymáx. Os híbridos de milho BRS1030, BRS1035 e BRS1010 e as linhagens L3, e L228-3 foram os genótipos mais resistentes. Essas linhagens podem ser usadas em programas de melhoramento visando resistência a mancha-branca.

Malaria is a debilitating and deadly disease that afflicts over 200 million people and kills over 600 thousand each year. Due to quickly evolving drug resistance and lack of an affordable vaccine, novel interventions are needed to fight the Plasmodium parasites that cause malaria. Targeting Plasmodium inside their mosquito hosts is one approach that could complement other preventative and medicinal interventions by reducing the ability of the mosquitoes to transmit the disease to humans. The research presented here uses paratransgenesis, the genetic modification of symbiotic bacteria within the mosquito midgut, to provide antimalarial protein to the mosquito and to interfere with the life cycle of Plasmodium within the insect host. <br>This research has produced three new antimalarial paratransgenic tools. The first tool is a set of new antimalarial effector proteins that were constructed by converting anti-Plasmodium mouse antibodies into single-chain variable fragment (scFv) versions for expression by bacteria. These antibodies bind to Plasmodium surface proteins and interfere with critical steps in the parasite life cycle. The second tool is a modified bacterial species, Pantoea agglomerans , which was engineered to secrete diverse antimalarial proteins via the hemolysin secretion pathway. Modified P. agglomerans were fed to mosquitoes and were capable of inhibiting the invasion of Plasmodium within the midgut. The third tool is another modified bacterial species, Asaia sp. SF2.1. Native Type II secretion signals were discovered that enable the creation of paratransgenic strains of these bacteria. Modified strains of Asaia sp. SF2.1 were also demonstrated to interfere with the invasion of Plasmodium within the mosquito. <br>These tools have laid the groundwork for the future use of paratransgenic bacteria to combat malaria in the wild. Asaia sp. SF2.1 bacteria, in particular, are capable of spreading throughout mosquito populations, so they provide their own drive mechanism to establish themselves within the mosquito vectors of malaria. While further modifications will be required to make these bacteria ready for field use, the findings of this research provide proof of concept that the bacteria are suitable for eventual use in malaria transmission-blocking interventions. / Bayer School of Natural and Environmental Sciences; / Biological Sciences / PhD; / Dissertation;

Salmonella, a common food pathogen, costs more than any other pathogen in the United States in terms of health care costs and loss of work due to the illnesses it causes. Low-moisture foods, especially flour, are susceptible to being contaminated by Salmonella. Food producers want flour to be pathogen-free but to also retain the same functionality of non-treated flour. Heat treatment is the most common method employed for lowering the concentration of pathogens in food. However, heating can result in the loss of the flour’s functionality. Pantoea dispersa strain JFS has been isolated from flour as a nonpathogenic bacterial surrogate that closely matches the D-value of Salmonella in flour. Flour samples were subjected to dry heat (70, 75, and 80°C) and heat tolerance was determined by plating out at least four different time points for each temperature. The death rate of P. dispersa strain JFS was similar to (p<0.05) Salmonella. This strain of P. dispersa was then used as a surrogate for Salmonella in a continuous and batch heat treatment processes to determine the amount of kill achieved by each. The continuous process was conducted using varying levels of four independent variables: temperature, residence time, use of steam, and manipulation of initial water content. All 15 runs resulted in a reduction of at least 1.5 logs of the surrogate, with the greatest reduction being 2.5 logs. The batch process was conducted using one independent variable, temperature. All runs for the batch process resulted in a reduction of at least 2.5 logs of the surrogate, with the greatest reduction being 4.3 logs at 170°F. Both processes could be used to reduce any Salmonella present in flour.

Submitted by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2018-05-11T14:59:51Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese_Andrelisse Arruda_2017.pdf: 5916961 bytes, checksum: d3d6f3dd277d94f02ba45cb40e90dc81 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2018-05-11T15:00:15Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese_Andrelisse Arruda_2017.pdf: 5916961 bytes, checksum: d3d6f3dd277d94f02ba45cb40e90dc81 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-11T15:00:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese_Andrelisse Arruda_2017.pdf: 5916961 bytes, checksum: d3d6f3dd277d94f02ba45cb40e90dc81 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-10-30 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Microrganisms living in insects’ midgut have been isolated and identified for developing biotechnological tools to fight vector-born diseases. In this context, the mosquitoes Anopheles from different regions around the world have been studied about their midgut microbiota focused on paratransgenesis. However, information about microrganisms living in neotropical mosquitoes midgut are scarce. And, specially about Anopheles darlingi, the main malaria vector in the Brazilian Amazon, still this study, there were not any report about culturable microrganisms associated to this insect. The first step for paratransgenesis is to isolate culturable microrganisms naturally associated to the insect vector, and thus amenable to experimentation in laboratory. The objectives of this work were to isolate and to identify culturable bacteria and yeasts isolated from feces of Anopheles darlingi, the main vector of malaria in Brazil; to estimate the species richness and frequency distribution of the sampled bacteria and yeasts and to characterize and to select the sampled bacteria and yeasts isolated from feces of An. darlingi with potential for paratransgenesis. The female mosquitoes of An.darlingi were captured in two rural places of Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brasil. For improving the bacterial growth, mosquito feces were collected on LB agar medium and cultivated at 37 ºC for 24 hours, and for improving the yeast growth, mosquito feces were collected on YPD agar medium with Chloramphenicol and cultivated at 30 ºC for 48 hours. Sixty pure bacteria colonies and sixty pure yeast colonies were sampled. The isolates were preserved in -80 ºC freezer. PCR reactions with genomic DNA from each isolate were perfomed using the primers of 16S rRNA genes for bacteria and 26S and ITS for yeasts. From 60 bacterial isolates, 55 samples were identified. From 60 yeast isolates, 27 samples were identified. The fragments were sequenced with the Sanger method and the sequences with similarities above of 97% with sequences in reference database were deposited in Genbank (NCBI). For bacteria, MALDI-TOF, VITEK®2 and BBL Crystal were also used as a complementar protocols to identify the isolates. The identified bacteria fall into 8 genera, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Cedecea, Pantoea, Serratia, Acinetobacter, Burkholderia and Staphylococcus. The identified yeast fall into 7 genera, Pseudozyma, Papiliotrema (Cryptococcus), Meyerozyma (=Pichia), Rhodotorula, Candida, Hanseniaspora and Metschnikowia. As candidates to paratransgenesis to control of malaria in An. darlingi are those bacteria belonging to the genera Pantoea and Serratia and the yeasts belonging to the genera Meyerozyma (=Pichia), Pseudozyma, Hanseniaspora and Metschnikowia. / Microrganismos contidos no trato digestório de insetos vem sendo isolados e identificados com o intuito de desenvolver ferramentas biotecnológicas para o controle de doenças transmitidas por insetos. Nesse contexto, mosquitos Anopheles de diferentes partes do globo têm sua microbiota investigada com foco em paratransgênese. No entanto, a informação sobre microrganismos associados aos anofelinos neotropicais é escassa. Tratando-se de Anopheles darlingi, o principal vetor de malária no Brasil, até o presente trabalho, não havia informações sobre microrganismos cultiváveis associados a esse vetor. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram isolar e identificar bactérias e leveduras cultiváveis isoladas das fezes de An. darlingi, o principal vetor da malária no Brasil; estimar riqueza e distribuição de frequência das bactérias e leveduras amostradas, e caracterizar e selecionar bactérias e leveduras isoladas das fezes de An. darlingi com potencial para paratransgênese. Os mosquitos An. darlingi fêmeas foram coletados em duas localidades rurais de Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brasil. Para favorecer o crescimento de bactérias, fezes dos mosquitos foram coletadas em meio LB ágar e cultivadas à 37°C por 24 horas, e para propiciar o crescimento de leveduras, fezes dos mosquitos foram coletadas em meio YPD ágar com cloranfenicol e cultivadas à 30°C por 48 horas. Sessenta colônias bacterianas e 60 colônias leveduriformes foram amostradas. Os isolados foram preservados em freezer -80 °C. Foram realizadas PCR utilizado DNA genômico dos isolados com iniciadores para a região do DNA ribossomal 16S para bactérias e 26S e ITS para leveduras. Todas as 60 bactérias isoladas foram identificadas. Das 60 leveduras isoladas, 27 foram identificadas. Os fragmentos foram sequenciados pelo método Sanger e as sequências com similaridades superiores a 97% frente a sequências disponíveis em bancos de dados foram depositadas no GenBank. Para bactérias, MALDI-TOF, VITEK®2 e BBL Crystal foram utilizados como métodos complementares para identificação dos isolados. As bactérias identificadas pertencem a 8 gêneros: Staphylococcus, Burkholderia, Cedecea, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Pantoea, Serratia e Acinetobacter. As leveduras identificadas pertencem a 7 gêneros: Candida, Meyerozyma (=Pichia), Metschnikowia, Hanseniaspora, Rhodotorula, Papiliotrema (=Cryptococcus) e Pseudozyma. São candidatas à paratransgênese para o controle da malária em An. darlingi as bactérias do gênero Pantoea e Serratia e as leveduras dos gêneros Meyerozyma (Pichia), Metschkowia, Hanseniaspora e Pseudozyma.

No description available.

According to CDC, every year at least 2 million people are affected and 23,000 dies as a result of antibiotic resistance in U.S. It is considered one of the biggest threats to global health. More and more bacterial infections are becoming harder to treat. One such infection is fire blight, one of the most destructive disease of apple and pear trees. It is caused by bacteria Erwinia amylovora and its outbreaks have been known to destroy entire orchards in a single season. The conventional method of treatments includes use of antibiotics like streptomycin and oxytetracycline but the incidences like presence of multi-drug resistant bacteria in the mammals grazing in the fields have raised concerns. Phage therapy is considered one of the few ways available to combat bacterial resistance and prevent fire blight. In this method, a cocktail of highly lytic bacteriophages is prepared and sprayed on the trees at different time intervals. Bacteriophages are an “intelligent” drug. They multiply at the site of the infection until there are no more bacteria and then they are excreted back into the nature. These phenomena make them more efficient than an antibiotic, which kills all kind of bacteria including good bacteria and can be maintained in the environment for long periods of time. These qualities of bacteriophage have resulted in many commercially available phage therapies. The initial part of this research focuses on isolation, characterization and genomic comparison of bacteriophages that infect a plant pathogen E.amylovora of Erwiniaceae family of Enterobacteriales order. In this study, 28 novel bacteriophages were isolated, fully sequenced, characterized and grouped into seven families based on phage homology. To take this further, we characterized a novel jumbo family of bacteriophages that has a small burst size of 4.6-4.9 and are most similar to bacteriophages that infect Pseudomonas and Ralstonia rather than Enterobacteriales bacteria by protein similarity. These bacteriophages are shown to infect Erwinia and Pantoea bacterial strains, but no infection of 9 other bacterial strains tested, was seen, under laboratory conditions. The results of this work provide an insight on special characteristics that makes bacteriophage so unique and adaptable. The final part of this research explores the enormous diversity of bacteriophages. In 2014 Grose and Casjens grouped 337 fully sequenced tailed phages into 56 diverse clusters (32 lytic and 24 temperate). We further expanded our current understanding of these clusters by performing the comprehensive analysis of genomes and proteomes of 1037 tailed bacteriophages, posted on GenBank. The results of this work provide insights into diversity and relatedness of bacteriophages and the data is posted on GenBank.