Phage-mediated dispersal of multicellular bacteria

Streptomyces are renowned for their prolific production of specialized metabolites with applications in medicine and agriculture. These multicellular bacteria present a sophisticated developmental cycle, and play a key role in soil ecology. Little is known about Streptomyces -phage interactions and the impact of phages on Streptomyces physiology. In this study, we investigated the conditions governing the expression and production of ‘Samy’, a prophage found in Streptomyces ambofaciens ATCC 23877. This phage is a siphovirus produced simultaneously with the activation of other mobile genetic elements. We show that Samy production increases bacterial dispersal in stress conditions, facilitating the dissemination of the lineage. Altogether, we unveiled a new property of a bacteriophage infection that it is closely linked to the multicellular community life of Streptomyces bacteria