• PhageDorf170 is a homologue of phage-borne poly gamma glutamate hydrolase.
• Poly gamma glutamate hydrolase degrades capsular polymers produced by bacteria.
• Capsular polymers are thought to confer some phage resistance.
• Kimura,K. and Itoh,Y., 2003, report that phiNIT1 releases this enzyme on lysis and that it confers some growth advantage on the phage.
• PhageD conserves an unnoticed frameshifted C terminal extension that would add a coiled coil to the poly gamma glutamate hydrolase.
• Could this serve to dock the enzyme to the phage structure?
• See phageDfeav2 database for orf171.