Growth rate determines prokaryote-provirus network modulated by temperature and host genetic traits

Prokaryote-virus interactions play key roles in driving biogeochemical cycles. However, little is known about the drivers shaping their interaction network structures, especially from the host features. Here, we compiled 7656 species-level genomes in 39 prokaryotic phyla across environments globally and explored how their interaction specialization is constrained by host life history traits, such as growth rate.

We first reported that host growth rate indicated by the reverse of minimal doubling time was negatively related to interaction specialization for host in host-provirus network across various ecosystems and taxonomy groups. Such a negative linear growth rate-specialization relationship (GrSR) was dependent on host optimal growth temperature (OGT), and stronger toward the two gradient ends of OGT. For instance, prokaryotic species with an OGT ≥ 40 °C showed a stronger GrSR (Pearson's r = -0.525, P < 0.001). Significant GrSRs were observed with the presences of host genes in promoting the infection cycle at stages of adsorption, establishment, and viral release, but nonsignificant with the presence of immune systems, such as restriction-modification systems and CRISPR-Cas systems. Moreover, GrSR strength was increased with the presence of temperature-dependent lytic switches, which was also confirmed by mathematical modeling.

Together, our results advance our understanding of the interactions between prokaryotes and proviruses and highlight the importance of host growth rate in interaction specialization during lysogenization. Video Abstract.