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Lysogenic host-virus interactions in SAR11 marine bacteria
Robert M Morris1, Kelsy R Cain2, Kelli L Hvorecny3
1School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. morrisrm@u.washington.edu.
Nature Microbiology
|May 20, 2020
Summary
Scientists discovered prophages, dormant viruses, in SAR11, the ocean
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Marine Biology
- Virology
Background:
- Host-virus interactions are crucial for microbial community structure and function.
- Lysogeny, a latent viral infection, is a proposed mechanism for these interactions.
- Prophages (integrated temperate viruses) are common in bacteria, but absent in dominant marine lineages like SAR11, fueling debate on their ecological role.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and ecological significance of prophages in cultured SAR11 bacteria.
- To understand the relationship between SAR11 growth, carbon limitation, and viral production.
Main Methods:
- Culturing of SAR11 bacteria.
- Detection and characterization of prophages within SAR11 genomes.
- Monitoring of cell and virus production under varying growth conditions.
Main Results:
- Discovery of prophages in cultured SAR11, the most abundant marine heterotrophic bacteria.
- Concurrent production of SAR11 cells and viruses observed.
- Increased virus production under carbon-limiting conditions.
Conclusions:
- Prophages are present in SAR11, challenging previous assumptions.
- Lysogeny likely plays a significant role in SAR11 ecology, particularly in nutrient-limited marine environments.
- Widespread distribution of related prophages suggests a key contribution to SAR11's evolutionary success.
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