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Environmental Sampling of Photosynthetic Microbes and Their Viruses: From Field to Lab

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Imaging Techniques for Detecting Prokaryotic Viruses in Environmental Samples.

Victoria Turzynski¹, Indra Monsees¹, Cristina Moraru²

¹Department of Chemistry, Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology (EMB), University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 5, 45141 Essen, Germany.

|November 27, 2021

Summary

This minireview explores imaging techniques for characterizing viruses in environmental samples. It highlights the need to link visualization with genomics for uncultivated viruses.

Keywords:

atomic force microscopy direct-geneFISH electron microscopy fluorescence in situ hybridization fluorescence microscopy helium-ion microscopy metagenomics phageFISH viromics virusFISH

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Area of Science:

Microbiology
Virology
Environmental Science

Background:

Viruses are Earth's most abundant biological entities, significantly impacting global biogeochemical cycles and microbial communities.
Prokaryotic viruses (bacteriophages and archaeal viruses) influence host evolution and metabolism through predation and horizontal gene transfer.
Structure-resolving microscopy, like transmission electron microscopy, is crucial for understanding viral morphology and host interactions, but primarily for cultivated viruses.

Purpose of the Study:

To review current imaging techniques for characterizing viruses in environmental samples.
To discuss the integration of viral imaging with environmental genomics.
To bridge the gap in understanding uncultivated viruses' morphology and lifestyles.

Main Methods:

Review of current literature on viral imaging techniques.
Discussion of microscopy methods (e.g., transmission electron microscopy) for viral characterization.
Exploration of environmental genomics and its potential linkage with imaging data.

Main Results:

A significant majority of viruses remain uncultivated and thus microscopically uncharacterized.
Existing imaging techniques can visualize viruses in environmental samples, but often lack genomic context.
Environmental genomics reveals vast viral diversity beyond cultivated isolates.

Conclusions:

Integrating viral imaging with environmental genomics is essential for characterizing uncultivated viruses.
Advanced imaging and genomic approaches are needed to elucidate the morphology and ecological roles of uncultivated viruses.
This integration will enhance our understanding of viral impact on Earth's ecosystems.