phageencoded

Phageencoded refers to genes, sequences, and products that are encoded by bacteriophages, the viruses that infect bacteria, or by genetic elements carried by phages such as prophages that integrate into bacterial genomes. The term is often written phage-encoded, but may appear as a single word in some texts.

Phageencoded genes contribute to phage biology and to the phenotype of infected bacteria. They can determine host range, replication, and lysis, and can modulate bacterial virulence or fitness through lysogenic conversion or transduction.

Examples include virulence factors like the diphtheria toxin gene tox, phage-encoded by corynephages; Shiga toxin genes stx1/stx2; cholera toxin ctxAB. Phage also encode enzymes such as endolysins and lysogeny regulators like integrases and repressors (cI). Phage-encoded regulatory elements control the lytic-lysogenic decision, and phage structural genes define virion assembly.

Implications: phageencoded genes can spread across bacterial populations via transduction, contributing to the spread of virulence or antibiotic resistance genes; safety considerations in phage therapy require selecting strictly lytic phages without harmful phage-encoded traits.

Biotechnological uses include phage display, where phage-encoded peptides are displayed on coat proteins; phage-encoded enzymes are explored for diagnostics and antimicrobial strategies.