Molecular and Evolutionary Determinants of Bacteriophage Host Range

Patrick A. de Jonge, Franklin L. Nobrega, Stan J.J. Brouns, Bas E. Dutilh*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

180 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The host range of a bacteriophage is the taxonomic diversity of hosts it can successfully infect. Host range, one of the central traits to understand in phages, is determined by a range of molecular interactions between phage and host throughout the infection cycle. While many well studied model phages seem to exhibit a narrow host range, recent ecological and metagenomics studies indicate that phages may have specificities that range from narrow to broad. There is a growing body of studies on the molecular mechanisms that enable phages to infect multiple hosts. These mechanisms, and their evolution, are of considerable importance to understanding phage ecology and the various clinical, industrial, and biotechnological applications of phage. Here we review knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that determine host range, provide a framework defining broad host range in an evolutionary context, and highlight areas for additional research.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)51-63
Number of pages13
JournalTrends in Microbiology
Volume27
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2019

Keywords

  • bacteriophage
  • broad-host-range phages
  • phage therapy
  • specificity
  • virus–host interaction

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