Beyond AMGs: Phage-encoded transcription and sigma factors as understudied virocell reprogramming tools (opens in new tab)

Phages, the most abundant biological entities on Earth, infect bacteria and reprogram them into ‘virocells’ with altered physiology and ecology. While metagenomic studies have largely inferred reprogramming through virus-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs), phages can reprogram cells through many other tools. In this review, we explore how phage-encoded, host-acting transcription and sigma factors (TSFs) reshape host transcriptional networks beyond simply regulating phage replication. We...