Vpliv Spbetavirusov na sorodstveno razlikovanje pri bakteriji Bacillus subtilis

In this master's thesis, we investigated the role of lysogenic bacteriophages from the Spbetavirus genus in kin discrimination in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. We studied how the integration of prophages changes social interactions between strains. The results confirmed that the mere presence of a prophage can shift an interaction from kin to non-kin. By analysing phage release using a confluent plaque assay, we found that the induction of prophages at the boundary line where the swarming lysogens meet is not strongly linked to the kin system. A subsequent cross-immunity test revealed that the phi3T lysogen can lyse all other lysogens, while its lysogen was susceptible to three other phages. This unique position of phi3T is hypothesised to contribute to a more intense conflicts at colony boundaries. Collectively, the evidence indicates that Spbetavirus prophages function as significant genetic modulators of bacterial sociality, with the phi3T phage playing a special role in lysogen interactions. The precise mechanisms by which host interactions influence the switch of prophages to the lytic cycle remain a subject for future research.