Isolation and Characterization of the subcluster L2 Mycobacteriophage Underpass and its lysogen

We report here on mycobacteriophage Underpass, isolated from a soil sample collected at a construction site at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Underpass is a siphovirus that infects <i>Mycobacterium smegmatis</i> mc ² 155, and is able to establish lysogens. Within its 71,053 bp genome, we identified 134 predicted genes. Based on gene content similiarity to Actinobacteriophages, Underpass is a member of the L2 subcluster.