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Ultraconserved bacteriophage genome sequence identified in 1300-year-old human palaeofaeces
Piotr Rozwalak1, Jakub Barylski2, Yasas Wijesekara3
1Department of Computational Biology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, 61-614, Poland.
Nature Communications
|January 23, 2024
Summary
Ancient bacteriophages were identified in 1300-year-old samples, revealing a near-identical genome to modern viruses. This study reconstructs ancient viral genomes, offering insights into long-term phage-bacteria interactions.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Paleovirology
- Genomics
Background:
- Bacteriophages are known for rapid evolution, but ancient phage genomes are poorly understood.
- Analyzing ancient DNA provides a unique window into microbial evolution over millennia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reconstruct and analyze ancient bacteriophage genomes from historical samples.
- To investigate the long-term evolutionary relationship between phages and their hosts.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of DNA sequence datasets from ancient palaeofaeces and human gut-content samples.
- Identification and reconstruction of ancient phage genomes using bioinformatics approaches.
- Assessment of DNA damage patterns to confirm ancient origin.
Main Results:
- An ancient phage genome nearly identical to present-day Mushuvirus mushu was identified.
- The ancient Mushuvirus genome shared 97.7% nucleotide identity with its modern counterpart despite 1300 years of evolution.
- 297 other ancient phage genomes, including novel families, were reconstructed from samples up to 5300 years old.
Conclusions:
- Reconstructing ancient phage genomes is feasible, expanding the known virosphere.
- Ancient phages demonstrate remarkable genome stability and long-term host-prophage relationships.
- This research provides insights into phage-bacteria dynamics across millennia.
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