Intragenomic conflict between transformation and prophage explains taxon-specific DNA acquisition.

Intragenomic conflict between transformation and prophage drives taxon-specific DNA acquisition, with Streptococcus pneumoniae showing a negative correlation between prophage content and homologous recombination rates.

• Why it matters: Understanding how bacteria acquire and eliminate mobile genetic elements is crucial for grasping bacterial evolution and adaptation, especially regarding prophage dynamics and horizontal gene transfer.
• What they did: The study analyzed the relationship between prophage content and recombination rates across bacterial isolates and experimentally tested how different sources of extracellular DNA influence prophage activation and deletion in a lysogen.
• The result: Findings reveal that DNA from the same species promotes prophage activation and removal, while DNA from different species only activates prophages, shaping the mechanisms and rates of horizontal gene transfer in bacterial populations.