Editing Cyanobacteria (section)

=== Cyanophages ===
{{main|Cyanophage}}
{{further|Marine viruses}}

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|image1=Cyanophages.png |caption1=[[Electron micrograph]] of [[negative-stained]] ''[[Prochlorococcus]]'' [[myovirus]]es
|image2=Structure of a Myoviridae bacteriophage 2.jpg |caption2=Typical structure of a myovirus
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[[Cyanophage]]s are viruses that infect cyanobacteria. Cyanophages can be found in both freshwater and marine environments.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Ecology of Cyanobacteria | vauthors = Suttle CA |date=2000-01-01 |publisher=Springer Netherlands |isbn=9780792347354 | veditors = Whitton BA, Potts M |pages=563–589|language=en |doi=10.1007/0-306-46855-7_20 |chapter=Cyanophages and Their Role in the Ecology of Cyanobacteria}}</ref> Marine and freshwater cyanophages have [[Regular icosahedron|icosahedral]] heads, which contain double-stranded DNA, attached to a tail by connector proteins.<ref name=Suttle1993>{{Cite journal | vauthors = Suttle CA, Chan AM |year=1993 |title=Marine cyanophages infecting oceanic and coastal strains of Synechococcus: abundance, . morphology, cross-infectivity and growth characteristics |journal=[[Marine Ecology Progress Series]] |volume=92 |pages=99–109 |bibcode=1993MEPS...92...99S |doi=10.3354/meps092099 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The size of the head and tail vary among species of cyanophages.
Cyanophages, like other [[bacteriophage]]s, rely on [[Brownian motion]] to collide with bacteria, and then use receptor binding proteins to recognize cell surface proteins, which leads to adherence. Viruses with contractile tails then rely on receptors found on their tails to recognize highly conserved proteins on the surface of the host cell.<ref name="Fokine-2014">{{cite journal | vauthors = Fokine A, Rossmann MG | title = Molecular architecture of tailed double-stranded DNA phages | journal = Bacteriophage | volume = 4 | issue = 1 | pages = e28281 | date = January 2014 | pmid = 24616838 | pmc = 3940491 | doi = 10.4161/bact.28281 }}</ref>

Cyanophages infect a wide range of cyanobacteria and are key regulators of the cyanobacterial populations in aquatic environments, and may aid in the prevention of cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater and marine ecosystems. These blooms can pose a danger to humans and other animals, particularly in [[eutrophic]] freshwater lakes. Infection by these viruses is highly prevalent in cells belonging to ''[[Synechococcus]]'' spp. in marine environments, where up to 5% of cells belonging to marine cyanobacterial cells have been reported to contain mature phage particles.<ref name="Proctor">{{Cite journal | vauthors = Proctor LM, Fuhrman JA |year=1990 |title=Viral mortality of marine bacteria and cyanobacteria |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=343 |issue=6253 |pages=60–62 |doi=10.1038/343060a0 |bibcode=1990Natur.343...60P }}</ref>

The first cyanophage, [[Cyanophage LPP-1|LPP-1]], was discovered in 1963.<ref name=Sarma /> Cyanophages are classified within the [[bacteriophage]] families ''[[Myoviridae]]'' (e.g. [[cyanophage AS-1|AS-1]], [[cyanophage N-1|N-1]]), ''[[Podoviridae]]'' (e.g. LPP-1) and ''[[Siphoviridae]]'' (e.g. [[cyanophage S-1|S-1]]).<ref name=Sarma>{{cite book |doi=10.1201/b14316 |title=Handbook of Cyanobacteria |date=2012 |last1=Sarma |first1=T. A. |isbn=978-1-4665-5941-7 |chapter=Cyanophages |pages=417–486 |publisher=CRC Press }}</ref>

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