Genomic characterization of Ralstonia solanacearum phage ϕRS138 of the family Siphoviridae.

ϕRS138, a bacteriophage of the family Siphoviridae that lyses Ralstonia solanacearum, was isolated. The genomic DNA of ϕRS138 was 41,941 bp long with a GC content of 65.1 % and contained 56 putative open reading frames. The ϕRS138 genome could be divided into three regions based on similarities to other genomes: (1) a region containing genes encoding a putative transcriptional regulator and an integrase, similar to the prophage genes in Ralstonia solanacearum K60-1; (2) a region encoding proteins related to structural modules and virion morphogenesis, similar to genes in the Pseudomonas phages of the family Siphoviridae; and (3) a region highly similar to the genomes of other Ralstonia solanacearum strains.