Enterobacteria phage P4 (also known as satellite phage P4) is a temperate bacteriophage strain of species Escherichia virus P2 within genus Peduovirus (formerly P2-like viruses, P2virus, and P2likevirus), subfamily Peduovirinae, family Myoviridae.[1] It is a satellite virus, requiring P2-related helper phage to grow lytically.
| Enterobacteria phage P4 | |
|---|---|
Virus classification  | |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | Duplodnaviria |
| Kingdom: | Heunggongvirae |
| Phylum: | Uroviricota |
| Class: | Caudoviricetes |
| Order: | Caudovirales |
| Family: | Myoviridae |
| Genus: | Peduovirus |
| Species: | |
| Strain: | Enterobacteria phage P4 |
Structure
The P4 virion has a tail and an icosahedral head containing a linear double-stranded DNA genome of 11,627 kb.[2][3]
Life cycle
Phage P4 infects Escherichia coli. It is a satellite virus which cannot engage in lytic growth without the presence of a P2-related helper phage. It generally follows a lysogenic life cycle: after infection, the P4 genome integrates into that of its host. The P4 genome can also exist on its own within the host cell and can replicate as a free plasmid.[4]