Time course of Vibrio cyclitrophicus phage infection, tRNA sequencing

Bacteriophage are traditionally thought to be under selective pressure to maintain compact genomes constrained by capsid size. Therefore, for phage, translational machinery is thought to be better rented than owned and is considered, typically, a signature of cellular organisms. However, the recent explosion in phage genome sequences reveals a wide distribution in phage genome content and size, including "jumbo phage" that carry tRNA and other translation-associated genes. More diverse strategies must therefore be at play. Our results here point toward a tradeoff: while encoding translation-related components requires shuttling a larger phage genome, it also reduces dependence on host translational machinery, allowing the phage to be more aggressive in degrading and recycling the host genome and other resources required for replication.