Prevalent gut phages encode modular adhesins mediating epithelial binding and endoplasmic reticulum trafficking

A high-throughput platform identified gut phages that adhere to epithelial layers and the immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domain proteins that mediate it: displayed on a non-adherent phage, they confer epithelial binding and internalization in vitro and longer retention in the mouse gut. Phages encoding these adhesins include crAss-like phages and myoviruses related to the proposed Flandersviridae family, and internalized phages traffic to the endoplasmic reticulum through the Golgi apparatus.