The metal-uptake-deficient Escherichia coli strain GR536 contains the ϕ80 lysogen

We report the genome sequence of Escherichia coli GR536, a previously constructed metal-uptake deficient strain derived from E. coli W3110. Growth of GR536 in certain iron-restricted liquid media resulted in apparent lysis during early exponential phase. Whole-genome sequencing confirmed the previously reported gene disruptions (entC, fecABCDE, mntH, zupT, and feoABC). However, comparison to the parent strain (W3110) identified the presence of the lysogenic phage ϕ80 as the likely cause of the lysis, and differences in cryptic prophages (CPZ-55 present and e14 absent). We confirmed that the growth defect in GR536 correlated with the production of ϕ80 virions. The presence of the pBAD30 plasmid exacerbated both the growth effects and phage titres. The effect of ϕ80 virion production on cell growth varied depending on the liquid medium, consistent with the previously reported stealth behavior of this phage.