Embracing the enemy: the diversification of microbial gene repertoires by phage-mediated horizontal gene transfer

摘要

Graphical abstractDisplay OmittedHighlights?Phages drive horizontal gene transfer between prokaryotes.?Lysogenic conversion provides novel adaptive traits, at the cost of eventual lysis.?Prophages account for a sizeable fraction of bacterial gene repertoires.?The environmental rates of specialized and generalized transduction, and their evolutionary relevance, are poorly known.?Theoretical work is necessary to understand the role of transduction in the evolution of prokaryotes and in phage therapy.Bacteriophages and archaeal viruses contribute,