J. M. Santini

Decoding Huge Phage Diversity: A Taxonomic Classification of Lak Megaphages

The paper classifies Lak megaphages into a new viral order, Grandevirales, based on protein and nucleotide analyses, revealing their unique genetic code and evolutionary relationships.

Stop codon recoding is widespread in diverse phage lineages and has the potential to regulate translation of late stage and lytic genes

The paper surveys stop codon recoding in bacteriophages, finding it widespread and suggesting it regulates gene expression and lysis timing.

Wide distribution of alternatively coded Lak megaphages in animal microbiomes

The paper identifies a wide distribution of alternatively coded Lak phages in animal microbiomes, including new genomes and associations with specific animal types.

Phylogenomic analysis reveals the basis of adaptation of Pseudorhizobium species to extreme environments

This paper reclassifies Pseudorhizobium species based on genomic analysis and identifies key functions for adaptation to extreme environments.

Clades of huge phage from across Earth’s ecosystems

The paper identifies major clades of large phage genomes across diverse ecosystems and highlights their expanded genetic repertoires and potential functional roles.

Megaphage infect Prevotella and variants are widespread in gut microbiomes

The paper identifies large phage (Lak phage) in gut microbiomes that infect Prevotella and are widespread, especially in developing-world individuals.