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Expanding the marine virosphere using metagenomics
Carolina Megumi Mizuno1, Francisco Rodriguez-Valera1, Nikole E Kimes1
1Evolutionary Genomics Group, Departamento de Producción Vegetal y Microbiología, Universidad Miguel Hernández, San Juan de Alicante, Alicante, Spain.
Plos Genetics
|December 19, 2013
Summary
Researchers discovered 208 new marine phage genomes from ocean metagenomes, revealing significant viral genomic diversity and global distribution. This study advances our understanding of bacteriophages and their roles in marine ecosystems.
Area of Science:
- Marine microbiology
- Virology
- Genomics
Background:
- Phages are the most abundant life forms, crucial for marine ecosystems.
- Traditional phage study methods are limited by host isolation and low DNA yields in natural environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel method for retrieving viral DNA from cellular metagenomes.
- To characterize the genomic diversity of marine phages and their hosts.
Main Methods:
- Utilized cellular metagenomes from deep chlorophyll maximum ocean waters to isolate viral DNA.
- Sequenced and analyzed fosmids containing viral DNA to assemble complete phage genomes.
- Employed sequence-based methods for host assignment and comparative genomics.
Main Results:
- Successfully described 208 complete genomes of new marine phages, including 10 novel genomic groups.
- Identified diverse prokaryotic hosts, including SAR11, SAR116, Cyanobacteria, and Actinobacteria.
- Demonstrated high abundance and global distribution of newly discovered phages through metavirome analysis.
Conclusions:
- The novel method effectively captures viral DNA from productive ocean waters.
- Marine phage genomes exhibit remarkable diversity and mosaicism.
- Newly identified phages play a significant role in marine microbial ecology and are globally distributed.
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