Deoxyinosine and 7-Deaza-2-Deoxyguanosine as Carriers of Genetic Information in the DNA of Campylobacter Viruses

Abstract

Bacteriophages are in a constant evolutionary struggle to overcome their microbial hosts’ defenses and must adapt in unconventional ways to remain viable as infectious agents. One mode of adaptation is modifying the viral genome to contain noncanonical nucleotides. Genome modification in phages is becoming more commonly reported as analytical techniques improve, but guanosine modifications have been underreported. To date, two genomic guanosine modifications have been observed in phage genomes, and both are low in genomic abundance. The significance of our research is in the identification of two novel DNA modification systems in Campylobacter -infecting phages, which replace all guanosine bases in the genome in a genus-specific manner.