In silico analysis of Ardmore, a novel mycobacteriophage isolated from soil

Abstract

Ardmore is a novel mycobacteriophage isolated from a soil sample collected in County Waterford, Ireland. The genome of this phage has been fully sequenced and is composed of 52,141 bp of linear double stranded DNA with a GC content of 61.49%. 88 ORFs were identified of which 34 were assigned predicted functions based on their homology to previously characterised proteins, their location in the genome, computer-predicted structural characteristics or presence of conserved motifs in their sequence. The Ardmore genome appears highly similar to mycobacteriophages Fruitloop and Tweety with BLASTn analysis showing 87% and 80% identity respectively. A predicted beta-lactamase gene was detected in the sequence, and an unusual +1 frameshift event for the translation of tail genes was also observed.