The Lysis Genes of the Paradigm Phage SP6

Background: The Salmonella podophage SP6 has been extensively studied as a divergent relative of T7 and as a prototype for therapeutic applications. Two decades ago, it underwent two comprehensive genomic investigations and was among the first phage GenBank files converted into RefSeq entries. Recent experimental and genomic research has shown that the annotation of the lysis genes in the SP6 genome and, consequently, in the large SP6-like phage family, is outdated. Materials and Methods: We employed bioinformatic analysis to identify the lysis genes within the SP6 genome. The anticipated genes were subsequently evaluated with the λ complementation method to verify the lysis characteristics. Results: Our functional study identifies SP6_gp39 as holin, SP6_gp46 as an endolysin, and SP6_gp47 and gp56 as i-spanin and o-spanin, respectively. Conclusion: Here, we present a revised whole-genome analysis and a set of experiments that identify the components of the Multi-Gene Lysis genes for this paradigm phage.