Abstract
Bacteriophages represent an essential component of microbial ecosystems and a promising resource for biocontrol. This study presents a comprehensive comparative genomic and evolutionary characterization of two novel bacteriophages that infect Pantoea agglomerans, Lia and Yaegar, belonging to the Loessnervirus genus within the Chaseviridae family. Both Lia and Yaegar possess double-stranded DNA genomes of approximately 54 kb with 44.4% GC content and 82 predicted open reading frames (ORFs). Functional annotation revealed distinct modules for replication, structural assembly, and lysis, but no genes associated with lysogeny, antibiotic resistance, or virulence. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) analysis indicated over 96% similarity between Lia, Yaegar, and the existing Pantoea phage vB_PagM_SSEM1, while VIRIDIC analysis reported 94.3% similarity, suggesting species-level divergence within the same genus. Phylogenetic analysis clustered Lia and Yaegar within a well-supported clade of the Loessnervirus genus, confirming their classification under Chaseviridae and highlighting evolutionary diversification likely driven by host-specific adaptation.
Degree
MS
College and Department
Life Sciences; Microbiology and Molecular Biology
Rights
https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Ewool, Leslie M., "Unveiling the Genomic Blueprint of Two Pantoea agglomerans Phages: Lia and Yaegar as Emerging Members of the Chaseviridae Family" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 11131.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/11131
Date Submitted
2025-12-05
Document Type
Thesis
Keywords
Pantoea agglomerans, bacteriophage, Chaseviridae, Loessnervirus, comparative genomics, VIRIDIC, FastANI, phylogenetics, biocontrol
Language
english