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Du S, Wu Y, Ying H, Wu Z, Yang M, Chen F, Shao J, Liu H, Zhang Z, Zhao Y. Genome sequences of the first Autographiviridae phages infecting marine Roseobacter. Microb Genom 2024; 10. [PMID: 38630615 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The ubiquitous and abundant marine phages play critical roles in shaping the composition and function of bacterial communities, impacting biogeochemical cycling in marine ecosystems. Autographiviridae is among the most abundant and ubiquitous phage families in the ocean. However, studies on the diversity and ecology of Autographiviridae phages in marine environments are restricted to isolates that infect SAR11 bacteria and cyanobacteria. In this study, ten new roseophages that infect marine Roseobacter strains were isolated from coastal waters. These new roseophages have a genome size ranging from 38 917 to 42 634 bp and G+C content of 44.6-50 %. Comparative genomics showed that they are similar to known Autographiviridae phages regarding gene content and architecture, thus representing the first Autographiviridae roseophages. Phylogenomic analysis based on concatenated conserved genes showed that the ten roseophages form three distinct subgroups within the Autographiviridae, and sequence analysis revealed that they belong to eight new genera. Finally, viromic read-mapping showed that these new Autographiviridae phages are widely distributed in global oceans, mostly inhabiting polar and estuarine locations. This study has expanded the current understanding of the genomic diversity, evolution and ecology of Autographiviridae phages and roseophages. We suggest that Autographiviridae phages play important roles in the mortality and community structure of roseobacters, and have broad ecological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Du
- College of Juncao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Ying Wu
- College of Juncao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Hanqi Ying
- College of Juncao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Zuqing Wu
- College of Juncao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Mingyu Yang
- College of Juncao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Feng Chen
- Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Jiabing Shao
- College of Juncao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - He Liu
- College of Juncao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Zefeng Zhang
- College of Juncao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Yanlin Zhao
- College of Juncao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Fujian Province, Institute of Oceanology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
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2
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Wagner TM, Pöntinen AK, Fenzel CK, Engi D, Janice J, Almeida-Santos AC, Tedim AP, Freitas AR, Peixe L, van Schaik W, Johannessen M, Hegstad K. Interactions between commensal Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus lactis and clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecium. FEMS MICROBES 2024; 5:xtae009. [PMID: 38606354 PMCID: PMC11008740 DOI: 10.1093/femsmc/xtae009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Enterococcus faecium (Efm) is a versatile pathogen, responsible for multidrug-resistant infections, especially in hospitalized immunocompromised patients. Its population structure has been characterized by diverse clades (A1, A2, and B (reclassified as E. lactis (Ela)), adapted to different environments, and distinguished by their resistomes and virulomes. These features only partially explain the predominance of clade A1 strains in nosocomial infections. We investigated in vitro interaction of 50 clinical isolates (clade A1 Efm) against 75 commensal faecal isolates from healthy humans (25 clade A2 Efm and 50 Ela). Only 36% of the commensal isolates inhibited clinical isolates, while 76% of the clinical isolates inhibited commensal isolates. The most apparent overall differences in inhibition patterns were presented between clades. The inhibitory activity was mainly mediated by secreted, proteinaceous, heat-stable compounds, likely indicating an involvement of bacteriocins. A custom-made database targeting 76 Bacillota bacteriocins was used to reveal bacteriocins in the genomes. Our systematic screening of the interactions between nosocomial and commensal Efm and Ela on a large scale suggests that, in a clinical setting, nosocomial strains not only have an advantage over commensal strains due to their possession of AMR genes, virulence factors, and resilience but also inhibit the growth of commensal strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Maria Wagner
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Anna Kaarina Pöntinen
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, 9038 Tromsø, Norway
- Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Carolin Kornelia Fenzel
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Daniel Engi
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Jessin Janice
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, 9038 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Ana C Almeida-Santos
- UCIBIO. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia. Faculdade de Farmácia. Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana P Tedim
- Group for Biomedical Research in Sepsis (BioSepsis), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Respiratorias (CiberES CB22/06/00035), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Ana R Freitas
- UCIBIO. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia. Faculdade de Farmácia. Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- 1H- TOXRUN – One Health Toxicology Research Unit, University Institute of Health Sciences, CESPU, 4584-116 Gandra, Portugal
| | - Luísa Peixe
- UCIBIO. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microbiologia. Faculdade de Farmácia. Universidade do Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB, Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - Willem van Schaik
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Mona Johannessen
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
| | - Kristin Hegstad
- Research group for Host-Microbe Interactions, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
- Norwegian National Advisory Unit on Detection of Antimicrobial Resistance, Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, University Hospital of North Norway, 9038 Tromsø, Norway
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3
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Cai L, Liu H, Zhang W, Xiao S, Zeng Q, Dang S. Cryo-EM structure of cyanophage P-SCSP1u offers insights into DNA gating and evolution of T7-like viruses. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6438. [PMID: 37833330 PMCID: PMC10575957 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42258-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanophages, together with their host cyanobacteria, play important roles in marine biogeochemical cycles and control of marine food webs. The recently identified MPP-C (Marine Picocyanobacteria Podovirus clade C) cyanophages, belonging to the T7-like podoviruses, contain the smallest genomes among cyanopodoviruses and exhibit distinct infection kinetics. However, understanding of the MPP-C cyanophage infection process is hindered by the lack of high-resolution structural information. Here, we report the cryo-EM structure of the cyanophage P-SCSP1u, a representative member of the MPP-C phages, in its native form at near-atomic resolution, which reveals the assembly mechanism of the capsid and molecular interaction of the portal-tail complex. Structural comparison of the capsid proteins of P-SCSP1u and other podoviruses with known structures provides insights into the evolution of T7-like viruses. Furthermore, our study provides the near-atomic resolution structure of portal-tail complex for T7-like viruses. On the basis of previously reported structures of phage T7, we identify an additional valve and gate to explain the DNA gating mechanism for the T7-like viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lanlan Cai
- Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China
- HKUST Shenzhen-Hong Kong Collaborative Innovation Research Institute, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hang Liu
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Wen Zhang
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shiwei Xiao
- Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Qinglu Zeng
- Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China.
- HKUST Shenzhen-Hong Kong Collaborative Innovation Research Institute, Shenzhen, China.
- Center for Ocean Research in Hong Kong and Macau, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Shangyu Dang
- Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China.
- HKUST-Shenzhen Research Institute, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518057, China.
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4
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Wang Y, Ferrinho S, Connaris H, Goss RJM. The Impact of Viral Infection on the Chemistries of the Earth's Most Abundant Photosynthesizes: Metabolically Talented Aquatic Cyanobacteria. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1218. [PMID: 37627283 PMCID: PMC10452541 DOI: 10.3390/biom13081218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are the most abundant photosynthesizers on earth, and as such, they play a central role in marine metabolite generation, ocean nutrient cycling, and the control of planetary oxygen generation. Cyanobacteriophage infection exerts control on all of these critical processes of the planet, with the phage-ported homologs of genes linked to photosynthesis, catabolism, and secondary metabolism (marine metabolite generation). Here, we analyze the 153 fully sequenced cyanophages from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database and the 45 auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) that they deliver into their hosts. Most of these AMGs are homologs of those found within cyanobacteria and play a key role in cyanobacterial metabolism-encoding proteins involved in photosynthesis, central carbon metabolism, phosphate metabolism, methylation, and cellular regulation. A greater understanding of cyanobacteriophage infection will pave the way to a better understanding of carbon fixation and nutrient cycling, as well as provide new tools for synthetic biology and alternative approaches for the use of cyanobacteria in biotechnology and sustainable manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunpeng Wang
- School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9AJ, UK; (S.F.); (H.C.)
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9SX, UK
| | - Scarlet Ferrinho
- School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9AJ, UK; (S.F.); (H.C.)
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9SX, UK
| | - Helen Connaris
- School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9AJ, UK; (S.F.); (H.C.)
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9SX, UK
| | - Rebecca J. M. Goss
- School of Chemistry, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9AJ, UK; (S.F.); (H.C.)
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, North Haugh, St Andrews KY16 9SX, UK
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5
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Shaalan H, Cattan-Tsaushu E, Li K, Avrani S. Sequencing the genomes of LPP-1, the first isolated cyanophage, and its relative LPP-2 reveal different integration mechanisms in closely related phages. HARMFUL ALGAE 2023; 124:102409. [PMID: 37164560 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2023.102409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
In the early 1960s, the first cyanophage was isolated. The description of this phage, named LPP-1, led to the extensive investigation of various cyanophages and to the study of their interactions with their cyanobacterial hosts towards controlling blooms. Here, the genomes of LPP-1 and its putative relative, LPP-2 were sequenced. Sequencing these genomes revealed that LPP-1 and LPP-2 are members of a group of short-tailed cyanophages, which are distantly related to the T7-like cyanophages. Most of the phages in this group have the ability to lysogenize their hosts. Their ability to switch between lytic and lysogenic infection may explain the formation of cyanobacterial blooms despite the persistence of their phages. This lysogenic capacity of the LPP-1-like phages occurs despite the lack of an obvious integrase gene within their genomes. Interestingly, we show that LPP-2 integrates into the host genome through an integration site in high proximity to a recombination endonuclease that may have integrase activity. Further understanding of cyanobacterial-phage relationships may provide insight into their population dynamics and suggest novel approaches for control of destructive cyanobacterial blooms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanaa Shaalan
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and The Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Eti Cattan-Tsaushu
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and The Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ke Li
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and The Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Sarit Avrani
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology and The Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
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6
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Zhu X, Li Z, Tong Y, Chen L, Sun T, Zhang W. From natural to artificial cyanophages: Current progress and application prospects. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 223:115428. [PMID: 36746205 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The over proliferation of harmful cyanobacteria and their cyanotoxins resulted in damaged aquatic ecosystem, polluted drinking water and threatened human health. Cyanophages are a kind of viruses that exclusively infect cyanobacteria, which is considered as a potential strategy to deal with cyanobacterial blooms. Nevertheless, the infecting host range and/or lysis efficiency of natural cyanophages is limited, rising the necessity of constructing non-natural cyanophages via artificial modification, design and synthesis to expand their host range and/or efficiency. The paper firstly reviewed representative cyanophages such as P60 with a short latent period of 1.5 h and S-CBS1 having a burst size up to 200 PFU/cell. To explore the in-silico design principles, we critically summarized the interactions between cyanophages and the hosts, indicating modifying the recognized receptors, enhancing the adsorption ability, changing the lysogeny and excluding the defense of hosts are important for artificial cyanophages. The research progress of synthesizing artificial cyanophages were summarized subsequently, raising the importance of developing genetic manipulation technologies and their rescue strategies in the future. Meanwhile, Large-scale preparation of cyanophages for bloom control is a big challenge. The application prospects of artificial cyanophages besides cyanobacteria bloom control like adaptive evolution and phage therapy were discussed at last. The review will promote the design, synthesis and application of cyanophages for cyanobacteria blooms, which may provide new insights for the related water pollution control and ensuring hydrosphere security.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofei Zhu
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, PR China; Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology & Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, 300072, PR China
| | - Zipeng Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Yindong Tong
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Lei Chen
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, PR China; Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology & Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, 300072, PR China.
| | - Tao Sun
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, PR China; Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology & Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, 300072, PR China; Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, PR China.
| | - Weiwen Zhang
- Laboratory of Synthetic Microbiology, School of Chemical Engineering & Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, PR China; Frontier Science Center for Synthetic Biology & Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering, Ministry of Education of China, Tianjin, 300072, PR China; Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, PR China
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7
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Transcriptomics-Driven Characterization of LUZ100, a T7-like Pseudomonas Phage with Temperate Features. mSystems 2023; 8:e0118922. [PMID: 36794936 PMCID: PMC10134795 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.01189-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Autographiviridae is a diverse yet distinct family of bacterial viruses marked by a strictly lytic lifestyle and a generally conserved genome organization. Here, we characterized Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage LUZ100, a distant relative of type phage T7. LUZ100 is a podovirus with a limited host range which likely uses lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a phage receptor. Interestingly, infection dynamics of LUZ100 indicated moderate adsorption rates and low virulence, hinting at temperate characteristics. This hypothesis was supported by genomic analysis, which showed that LUZ100 shares the conventional T7-like genome organization yet carries key genes associated with a temperate lifestyle. To unravel the peculiar characteristics of LUZ100, ONT-cappable-seq transcriptomics analysis was performed. These data provided a bird's-eye view of the LUZ100 transcriptome and enabled the discovery of key regulatory elements, antisense RNA, and transcriptional unit structures. The transcriptional map of LUZ100 also allowed us to identify new RNA polymerase (RNAP)-promoter pairs that can form the basis for biotechnological parts and tools for new synthetic transcription regulation circuitry. The ONT-cappable-seq data revealed that the LUZ100 integrase and a MarR-like regulator (proposed to be involved in the lytic/lysogeny decision) are actively cotranscribed in an operon. In addition, the presence of a phage-specific promoter transcribing the phage-encoded RNA polymerase raises questions on the regulation of this polymerase and suggests that it is interwoven with the MarR-based regulation. This transcriptomics-driven characterization of LUZ100 supports recent evidence that T7-like phages should not automatically be assumed to have a strictly lytic life cycle. IMPORTANCE Bacteriophage T7, considered the "model phage" of the Autographiviridae family, is marked by a strictly lytic life cycle and conserved genome organization. Recently, novel phages within this clade have emerged which display characteristics associated with a temperate life cycle. Screening for temperate behavior is of utmost importance in fields like phage therapy, where strictly lytic phages are generally required for therapeutic applications. In this study, we applied an omics-driven approach to characterize the T7-like Pseudomonas aeruginosa phage LUZ100. These results led to the identification of actively transcribed lysogeny-associated genes in the phage genome, pointing out that temperate T7-like phages are emerging more frequent than initially thought. In short, the combination of genomics and transcriptomics allowed us to obtain a better understanding of the biology of nonmodel Autographiviridae phages, which can be used to optimize the implementation of phages and their regulatory elements in phage therapy and biotechnological applications, respectively.
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Abundant and cosmopolitan lineage of cyanopodoviruses lacking a DNA polymerase gene. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:252-262. [PMID: 36357781 PMCID: PMC9860041 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01340-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Cyanopodoviruses affect the mortality and population dynamics of the unicellular picocyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus, the dominant primary producers in the oceans. Known cyanopodoviruses all contain the DNA polymerase gene (DNA pol) that is important for phage DNA replication and widely used in field quantification and diversity studies. However, we isolated 18 cyanopodoviruses without identifiable DNA pol. They form a new MPP-C clade that was separated from the existing MPP-A, MPP-B, and P-RSP2 clades. The MPP-C phages have the smallest genomes (37.3-37.9 kb) among sequenced cyanophages, and show longer latent periods than the MPP-B phages. Metagenomic reads of both clades are highly abundant in surface waters, but the MPP-C phages show higher relative abundance in surface waters than in deeper waters, while MPP-B phages have higher relative abundance in deeper waters. Our study reveals that cyanophages with distinct genomic contents and infection kinetics can exhibit different depth profiles in the oceans.
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Genetic engineering of marine cyanophages reveals integration but not lysogeny in T7-like cyanophages. THE ISME JOURNAL 2022; 16:488-499. [PMID: 34429521 PMCID: PMC8776855 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-01085-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Marine cyanobacteria of the genera Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus are the most abundant photosynthetic organisms on earth, spanning vast regions of the oceans and contributing significantly to global primary production. Their viruses (cyanophages) greatly influence cyanobacterial ecology and evolution. Although many cyanophage genomes have been sequenced, insight into the functional role of cyanophage genes is limited by the lack of a cyanophage genetic engineering system. Here, we describe a simple, generalizable method for genetic engineering of cyanophages from multiple families, that we named REEP for REcombination, Enrichment and PCR screening. This method enables direct investigation of key cyanophage genes, and its simplicity makes it adaptable to other ecologically relevant host-virus systems. T7-like cyanophages often carry integrase genes and attachment sites, yet exhibit lytic infection dynamics. Here, using REEP, we investigated their ability to integrate and maintain a lysogenic life cycle. We found that these cyanophages integrate into the host genome and that the integrase and attachment site are required for integration. However, stable lysogens did not form. The frequency of integration was found to be low in both lab cultures and the oceans. These findings suggest that T7-like cyanophage integration is transient and is not part of a classical lysogenic cycle.
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10
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Zhang D, He Y, Gin KYH. Genomic Characterization of a Novel Freshwater Cyanophage Reveals a New Lineage of Cyanopodovirus. Front Microbiol 2022; 12:768868. [PMID: 35095789 PMCID: PMC8790148 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.768868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are one of the dominant autotrophs in tropical freshwater communities, yet phages infecting them remain poorly characterized. Here we present the characterization of cyanophage S-SRP02, isolated from a tropical freshwater lake in Singapore, which infects Synechococcus sp. Strain SR-C1 isolated from the same lake. S-SRP02 represents a new evolutionary lineage of cyanophage. Out of 47 open reading frames (ORFs), only 20 ORFs share homology with genes encoding proteins of known function. There is lack of auxiliary metabolic genes which was commonly found as core genes in marine cyanopodoviruses. S-SRP02 also harbors unique structural genes highly divergent from other cultured phages. Phylogenetic analysis and viral proteomic tree further demonstrate the divergence of S-SRP02 from other sequenced phage isolates. Nonetheless, S-SRP02 shares synteny with phage genes of uncultured phages obtained from the Mediterranean Sea deep chlorophyll maximum fosmids, indicating the ecological importance of S-SRP02 and its related viruses. This is further supported by metagenomic mapping of environmental viral metagenomic reads onto the S-SRP02 genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Zhang
- NUS Environmental Research Institute (E2S2-CREATE), National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yiliang He
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Karina Yew-Hoong Gin
- NUS Environmental Research Institute (E2S2-CREATE), National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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11
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Predicting the capsid architecture of phages from metagenomic data. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:721-732. [PMID: 35140890 PMCID: PMC8814770 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2021.12.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Tailed phages are viruses that infect bacteria and are the most abundant biological entities on Earth. Their ecological, evolutionary, and biogeochemical roles in the planet stem from their genomic diversity. Known tailed phage genomes range from 10 to 735 kilobase pairs thanks to the size variability of the protective protein capsids that store them. However, the role of tailed phage capsids’ diversity in ecosystems is unclear. A fundamental gap is the difficulty of associating genomic information with viral capsids in the environment. To address this problem, here, we introduce a computational approach to predict the capsid architecture (T-number) of tailed phages using the sequence of a single gene—the major capsid protein. This approach relies on an allometric model that relates the genome length and capsid architecture of tailed phages. This allometric model was applied to isolated phage genomes to generate a library that associated major capsid proteins and putative capsid architectures. This library was used to train machine learning methods, and the most computationally scalable model investigated (random forest) was applied to human gut metagenomes. Compared to isolated phages, the analysis of gut data reveals a large abundance of mid-sized (T = 7) capsids, as expected, followed by a relatively large frequency of jumbo-like tailed phage capsids (T ≥ 25) and small capsids (T = 4) that have been under-sampled. We discussed how to increase the method’s accuracy and how to extend the approach to other viruses. The computational pipeline introduced here opens the doors to monitor the ongoing evolution and selection of viral capsids across ecosystems.
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12
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Du S, Qin F, Zhang Z, Tian Z, Yang M, Liu X, Zhao G, Xia Q, Zhao Y. Genomic diversity, life strategies and ecology of marine HTVC010P-type pelagiphages. Microb Genom 2021; 7. [PMID: 34227930 PMCID: PMC8477408 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
SAR11 bacteria dominate ocean surface bacterioplankton communities, and play an important role in marine carbon and nutrient cycling. The biology and ecology of SAR11 are impacted by SAR11 phages (pelagiphages) that are highly diverse and abundant in the ocean. Among the currently known pelagiphages, HTVC010P represents an extremely abundant but under-studied phage group in the ocean. In this study, we have isolated seven new HTVC010P-type pelagiphages, and recovered 77 nearly full-length HTVC010P-type metagenomic viral genomes from marine metagenomes. Comparative genomic and phylogenomic analyses showed that HTVC010P-type pelagiphages display genome synteny and can be clustered into two major subgroups, with subgroup I consisting of strictly lytic phages and subgroup II mostly consisting of phages with potential lysogenic life cycles. All but one member of the subgroup II contain an integrase gene. Site-specific integration of subgroup II HTVC010P-type pelagiphage was either verified experimentally or identified by in silico genomic sequence analyses, which revealed that various SAR11 tRNA genes can serve as the integration sites of HTVC010P-type pelagiphages. Moreover, HTVC010P-type pelagiphage integration was confirmed by the detection of several Global Ocean Survey (GOS) fragments that contain hybrid phage–host integration sites. Metagenomic recruitment analysis revealed that these HTVC010P-type phages were globally distributed and most lytic subgroup I members exhibited higher relative abundance. Altogether, this study significantly expands our knowledge about the genetic diversity, life strategies and ecology of HTVC010P-type pelagiphages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Du
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Agroecological Processing and Safety Monitoring, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Fang Qin
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Agroecological Processing and Safety Monitoring, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Zefeng Zhang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Agroecological Processing and Safety Monitoring, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Zhen Tian
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Agroecological Processing and Safety Monitoring, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Mingyu Yang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Agroecological Processing and Safety Monitoring, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Xinxin Liu
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Agroecological Processing and Safety Monitoring, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Guiyuan Zhao
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Agroecological Processing and Safety Monitoring, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Qian Xia
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Agroecological Processing and Safety Monitoring, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
| | - Yanlin Zhao
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Agroecological Processing and Safety Monitoring, College of Life Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, PR China
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13
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Bauer A, Forchhammer K. Bacterial Predation on Cyanobacteria. Microb Physiol 2021; 31:99-108. [PMID: 34010833 DOI: 10.1159/000516427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Predatory bacteria gained interest in the last 20 years. Nevertheless, only a few species are well characterized. The endobiotic predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus invades its prey to consume it from the inside, whereas Myxococcus xanthus hunts as a whole group to overcome its prey. Both species were described to prey on cyanobacteria as well. This minireview summarizes the findings of the last 20 years of predatory bacteria of cyanobacteria and is supplemented by new findings from a screening experiment for bacterial predators of the model organism Anabaena variabilis PCC 7937. Known predatory bacteria of cyanobacteria belong to the phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes and follow different hunting strategies. The underlying mechanisms are in most cases not known in much detail. Isolates from the screening experiment were clustered after predation behaviour and analyzed with respect to their size. The effect of predation in high nitrate levels and the occurrence of nitrogen-fixing cells, called heterocysts, are addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antje Bauer
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Karl Forchhammer
- Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine, Eberhard Karls Universität, Tübingen, Germany
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14
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Tittes C, Schwarzer S, Quax TEF. Viral Hijack of Filamentous Surface Structures in Archaea and Bacteria. Viruses 2021; 13:v13020164. [PMID: 33499367 PMCID: PMC7911016 DOI: 10.3390/v13020164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The bacterial and archaeal cell surface is decorated with filamentous surface structures that are used for different functions, such as motility, DNA exchange and biofilm formation. Viruses hijack these structures and use them to ride to the cell surface for successful entry. In this review, we describe currently known mechanisms for viral attachment, translocation, and entry via filamentous surface structures. We describe the different mechanisms used to exploit various surface structures bacterial and archaeal viruses. This overview highlights the importance of filamentous structures at the cell surface for entry of prokaryotic viruses.
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15
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Huang S, Sun Y, Zhang S, Long L. Temporal transcriptomes of a marine cyanopodovirus and its Synechococcus host during infection. Microbiologyopen 2020; 10:e1150. [PMID: 33377630 PMCID: PMC7885011 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.1150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine picocyanobacteria belonging to genera Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus are genetically diverged and distributed into distinct biogeographical patterns, and both are infected by genetically closely related cyanopodoviruses. Previous studies have not fully explored whether the two virus–host systems share similar gene expression patterns during infection. Whole‐genome expression dynamics of T7‐like cyanopodovirus P‐SSP7 and its host Prochlorococcus strain MED4 have already been reported. Here, we conducted genomic and transcriptomic analyses on T7‐like cyanopodovirus S‐SBP1 during its infection on Synechococcus strain WH7803. S‐SBP1 has a latent period of 8 h and phage DNA production of 30 copies per cell. In terms of whole‐genome phylogenetic relationships and average nucleotide identity, S‐SBP1 was most similar to cyanopodovirus S‐RIP2, which also infects Synechococcus WH7803. Three hypervariable genomic islands were identified when comparing the genomes of S‐SBP1 and S‐RIP2. Single nucleotide variants were also observed in three S‐SBP1 genes, which were located within the island regions. Based on RNA‐seq analysis, S‐SBP1 genes clustered into three temporal expression classes, whose gene content was similar to that of P‐SSP7. Thirty‐two host genes were upregulated during phage infection, including those involved in carbon metabolism, ribosome components, and stress response. These upregulated genes were similar to those upregulated by Prochlorococcus MED4 in response to infection by P‐SSP7. Our study demonstrates a programmed temporal expression pattern of cyanopodoviruses and hosts during infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sijun Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yingting Sun
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Si Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lijuan Long
- CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
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16
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Lin W, Li D, Sun Z, Tong Y, Yan X, Wang C, Zhang X, Pei G. A novel freshwater cyanophage vB_MelS-Me-ZS1 infecting bloom-forming cyanobacterium Microcystis elabens. Mol Biol Rep 2020; 47:7979-7989. [PMID: 33025507 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-020-05876-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Blooms of cyanobacteria cause enormous losses in both the economy and environment. Cyanophages are of great potential for fighting blooming cyanobacteria. Research report on cyanophage of bloom-forming cyanobacterium, Microcystis elabens is deficient. vB_MelS-Me-ZS1 (abbreviated as Me-ZS1) was isolated from fresh water by double-layer agar plate method using M. elabens. TEM exhibited that cyanosiphovirus Me-ZS1 has an icosahedral head about 60 nm in diameter, and a noncontractile tail approximately 260 nm. Experimental infection against 15 cyanobacterial strains showed that Me-ZS1 can infect 12 strains across taxonomic orders (Chroococcales, Nostocales and Oscillatoriales). High-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics analysis revealed that Me-ZS1 has a double-stranded DNA genome of 49,665 bp, with a G + C content of 58.22%, and 73 predicted open reading frames (ORFs). BLASTn and ORF comparisons showed that Me-ZS1 shares very low homology with the public sequences, and the phylogenetic tree based on TerL indicated that Me-ZS1 may delegate a novel and genetically distinct clade of Siphoviridae phages. In microcosm experiment, Me-ZS1 represented apparent effect on reducing relative abundance of cyanobacteria, increasing relative abundance of Saprospiraceae and protecting brocade carp (Carassius auratus) in cyanobacterial bloom water. This study isolated and characterized a novel broad-host-range Microcystis phage Me-ZS1 presenting a genetically distinct clade of freshwater cyanophage. The features of cyanophage Me-ZS1 provide a potential solution to the loss caused by cyanobacterial bloom.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Lin
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Zhejiang, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315832, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, People's Republic of China
| | - Dengfeng Li
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Zhejiang, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315832, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhitong Sun
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Zhejiang, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315832, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Yigang Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, People's Republic of China
- College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaojun Yan
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Zhejiang, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315832, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Chunlin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Zhejiang, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315832, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China
| | - Xianglilan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, People's Republic of China
| | - Guangqian Pei
- State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, 100071, People's Republic of China
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17
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Goldin S, Hulata Y, Baran N, Lindell D. Quantification of T4-Like and T7-Like Cyanophages Using the Polony Method Show They Are Significant Members of the Virioplankton in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1210. [PMID: 32612586 PMCID: PMC7308941 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG) is one of the largest biomes on Earth, with the cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus being the most abundant primary producer year-round. Viruses that infect cyanobacteria (cyanophages) influence cyanobacterial mortality, diversity and evolution. Two major cyanophage families are the T4-like cyanomyoviruses and T7-like cyanopodoviruses, yet their abundances and distribution patterns remain unknown due to difficulty in quantifying their populations. To address this limitation, we previously adapted the polony method (for PCR colony) to quantify T7-like cyanophages and applied it to spring populations in the Red Sea. Here, we further adapted the method for the quantification of T4-like cyanophages and analyzed the abundances of T4-like and T7-like cyanophage populations in the photic zone of the NPSG in summer 2015 and spring 2016. Combined, the peak abundances of these two cyanophage families reached 2.8 × 106 and 1.1 × 106 cyanophages ⋅ ml–1 in the summer and spring, respectively. They constituted between 3 and 16% of total virus-like particles (VLPs), comprising a substantial component of the virioplankton in the NPSG. While both cyanophage families were highly abundant, the T4-like cyanophages were generally 1.3–4.4 fold more so. In summer, cyanophages had similar and reproducible distribution patterns with depth. Abundances were relatively low in the upper mixed layer and increased to form a pronounced subsurface peak at 100 m (1.9 × 106 and 9.1 × 105 phages ⋅ ml–1 for the T4-like and T7-like cyanophages, respectively), coincident with the maximum in Prochlorococcus populations. Less vertical structure in cyanophage abundances was apparent in the spring profile, despite a subsurface peak in Prochlorococcus numbers. In the summer upper mixed layer, cyanophages constituted a smaller proportion of VLPs than below it and cyanophage to cyanobacteria ratios were considerably lower (1.3–2.8) than those of VLPs to bacteria (8.1–21.2). Differences in abundances between the two families and their contribution to VLPs with depth suggest differences in cyanophage production and/or decay processes relative to other members of the virioplankton in the upper mixed layer. These findings highlight the importance of quantifying distinct populations within the virioplankton to gain accurate understanding of their distribution patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svetlana Goldin
- Faculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yotam Hulata
- Faculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Nava Baran
- Faculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Debbie Lindell
- Faculty of Biology, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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18
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Zhao Y, Qin F, Zhang R, Giovannoni SJ, Zhang Z, Sun J, Du S, Rensing C. Pelagiphages in thePodoviridaefamily integrate into host genomes. Environ Microbiol 2018; 21:1989-2001. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.14487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Revised: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yanlin Zhao
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Agroecological Processing and Safety Monitoring, College of Life SciencesFujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou Fujian China
| | - Fang Qin
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Agroecological Processing and Safety Monitoring, College of Life SciencesFujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou Fujian China
| | - Rui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental ScienceCollege of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, Xiamen University Xiamen Fujian China
| | | | - Zefeng Zhang
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Agroecological Processing and Safety Monitoring, College of Life SciencesFujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou Fujian China
| | - Jing Sun
- Department of MicrobiologyOregon State University Corvallis OR USA
| | - Sen Du
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Agroecological Processing and Safety Monitoring, College of Life SciencesFujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou Fujian China
| | - Christopher Rensing
- Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Soil Environmental Health and Regulation, College of Resources and EnvironmentFujian Agriculture and Forestry University Fuzhou Fujian China
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19
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Dai W, Chen M, Myers C, Ludtke SJ, Pettitt BM, King JA, Schmid MF, Chiu W. Visualizing Individual RuBisCO and Its Assembly into Carboxysomes in Marine Cyanobacteria by Cryo-Electron Tomography. J Mol Biol 2018; 430:4156-4167. [PMID: 30138616 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.08.013.visualizing] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2018] [Revised: 07/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic organisms responsible for ~25% of the organic carbon fixation on earth. A key step in carbon fixation is catalyzed by ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO), the most abundant enzyme in the biosphere. Applying Zernike phase-contrast electron cryo-tomography and automated annotation, we identified individual RuBisCO molecules and their assembly intermediates leading to the formation of carboxysomes inside Syn5 cyanophage infected cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. WH8109 cells. Surprisingly, more RuBisCO molecules were found to be present as cytosolic free-standing complexes or clusters than as packaged assemblies inside carboxysomes. Cytosolic RuBisCO clusters and partially assembled carboxysomes identified in the cell tomograms support a concurrent assembly model involving both the protein shell and the enclosed RuBisCO. In mature carboxysomes, RuBisCO is neither randomly nor strictly icosahedrally packed within protein shells of variable sizes. A time-averaged molecular dynamics simulation showed a semi-liquid probability distribution of the RuBisCO in carboxysomes and correlated well with carboxysome subtomogram averages. Our structural observations reveal the various stages of RuBisCO assemblies, which could be important for understanding cellular function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Dai
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience & Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - Muyuan Chen
- Verna and Marrs Mclean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Christopher Myers
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Steven J Ludtke
- Verna and Marrs Mclean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - B Montgomery Pettitt
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Jonathan A King
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Michael F Schmid
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Wah Chiu
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA; Departments of Bioengineering and of Microbiology and Immunoplogy, James H. Clark Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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20
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Dai W, Chen M, Myers C, Ludtke SJ, Pettitt BM, King JA, Schmid MF, Chiu W. Visualizing Individual RuBisCO and Its Assembly into Carboxysomes in Marine Cyanobacteria by Cryo-Electron Tomography. J Mol Biol 2018; 430:4156-4167. [PMID: 30138616 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2018] [Revised: 07/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic organisms responsible for ~25% of the organic carbon fixation on earth. A key step in carbon fixation is catalyzed by ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCO), the most abundant enzyme in the biosphere. Applying Zernike phase-contrast electron cryo-tomography and automated annotation, we identified individual RuBisCO molecules and their assembly intermediates leading to the formation of carboxysomes inside Syn5 cyanophage infected cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. WH8109 cells. Surprisingly, more RuBisCO molecules were found to be present as cytosolic free-standing complexes or clusters than as packaged assemblies inside carboxysomes. Cytosolic RuBisCO clusters and partially assembled carboxysomes identified in the cell tomograms support a concurrent assembly model involving both the protein shell and the enclosed RuBisCO. In mature carboxysomes, RuBisCO is neither randomly nor strictly icosahedrally packed within protein shells of variable sizes. A time-averaged molecular dynamics simulation showed a semi-liquid probability distribution of the RuBisCO in carboxysomes and correlated well with carboxysome subtomogram averages. Our structural observations reveal the various stages of RuBisCO assemblies, which could be important for understanding cellular function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Dai
- Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience & Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - Muyuan Chen
- Verna and Marrs Mclean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Christopher Myers
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Steven J Ludtke
- Verna and Marrs Mclean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - B Montgomery Pettitt
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA; Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Jonathan A King
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Michael F Schmid
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
| | - Wah Chiu
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA; Departments of Bioengineering and of Microbiology and Immunoplogy, James H. Clark Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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21
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Genetic Diversity and Cooccurrence Patterns of Marine Cyanopodoviruses and Picocyanobacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 2018; 84:AEM.00591-18. [PMID: 29915108 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00591-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Picocyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus are abundant in the global oceans and subject to active viral infection. In this study, the genetic diversity of picocyanobacteria and the genetic diversity of cyanopodoviruses were synchronously investigated along water columns in the equatorial Indian Ocean and over a seasonal time course in the coastal Sanya Bay, South China Sea. Using the 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-based clone library and quantitative PCR (qPCR) analyses, the picocyanobacterial community composition and abundance were determined. Sanya Bay was dominated by clade II Synechococcus during all the seasons, and a typical population shift from high-light-adapted Prochlorococcus to low-light-adapted Prochlorococcus was found along the vertical profiles. Strikingly, the DNA polymerase gene sequences of cyanopodoviruses revealed a much greater genetic diversity than we expected. Nearly one-third of the phylogenetic groups were newly described here. No apparent seasonal pattern was observed for the Sanya Bay picocyanobacterial or cyanopodoviral communities. Different dominant cyanopodovirus lineages were identified for the coastal area, upper euphotic zone, and middle-to-lower euphotic zone of the open ocean. Diversity indices of both picocyanobacteria and cyanopodoviruses were highest in the middle euphotic zone and both were lower in the upper euphotic zone, reflecting a host-virus interaction. Cyanopodoviral communities differed significantly between the upper euphotic zone and the middle-to-lower euphotic zone, showing a vertical pattern similar to that of picocyanobacteria. However, in the surface waters of the open ocean, cyanopodoviruses exhibited no apparent biogeographic pattern, differing from picocyanobacteria. This study demonstrates correlated distribution patterns of picocyanobacteria and cyanopodoviruses, as well as the complex biogeography of cyanopodoviruses.IMPORTANCE Picocyanobacteria are highly diverse and abundant in the ocean and display remarkable global biogeography and a vertical distribution pattern. However, how the diversity and distribution of picocyanobacteria affect those of the viruses that infect them remains largely unknown. Here we synchronously analyzed the community structures of cyanopodoviruses and picocyanobacteria at spatial and temporal scales. Both spatial and temporal variations of cyanopodoviral communities can be linked to those of picocyanobacteria. The coastal area, upper euphotic zone, and middle-to-lower euphotic zone of the open ocean have distinct cyanopodoviral communities, showing horizontal and vertical variation patterns closely related to those of picocyanobacteria. These findings emphasize the driving force of host community in shaping the biogeographic structure of viruses. Our work provides important information for future assessments of the ecological roles of viruses and hosts for each other.
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22
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Elhalag K, Nasr-Eldin M, Hussien A, Ahmad A. Potential use of soilborne lytic Podoviridae phage as a biocontrol agent against Ralstonia solanacearum. J Basic Microbiol 2018; 58:658-669. [PMID: 29938804 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.201800039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2018] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
A new podovirus RsPod1EGY Ralstonia phage (GenBank accession no MG711516) with a specific action against R. solanacearum phylotype IIa, sequevar I (race 3, biovar 2) was isolated from Egyptian soil. The potential efficacy of the isolated phage to be used as biocontrol agent was evaluated in vitro and under greenhouse conditions. The podovirus phage produced a plaque size of 3.0-4.0 mm in diameter and completed its infection cycle in 180 min after infection with a burst size of ∼27 virions per infected cell. On the basis of restriction endonuclease analysis, the genome size of the phage was about 41 kb of double-stranded DNA. In vitro studies showed that RsPod1EGY is stable at higher temperatures (up to 60 °C), and at a wide pH range (5-9). SDS-PAGE analysis indicated the major structural protein to be approximately 32 kDa. Bacteriolytic activity of RsPod1EGY against R. solanacearum was detected at different multiplicity of infection (MOI). RsPod1EGY proved to be effective in reduction and prevention of formation of surface polysaccharides of R. solanacearum, during the exponential growth phase of the latter. Interestingly, RsPod1EGY was effective in suppression of R. solanacearum under greenhouse conditions. All Phage-treated tomato plants showed no wilt symptoms or any latent infection during the experimental period, whereas all untreated plants have wilted by 10 days post-infection. The lytic stability of RsPod1EGY phage at higher temperature as well as its effective suppression of wilting symptoms under greenhouse conditions would contribute to biocontrol the bacterial wilt disease in Egypt under field conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamel Elhalag
- Bacterial Diseases Research Department, Plant Pathology Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt.,Potato Brown Rot Project, Ministry of Agriculture, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
| | - Mohamed Nasr-Eldin
- Faculty of Science, Department of Botany, Benha University, Benha, Egypt
| | - Ahmed Hussien
- Potato Brown Rot Project, Ministry of Agriculture, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.,Central Administration of Plant Quarantine, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
| | - Abdelmonim Ahmad
- Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Plant Pathology, Minia University, El-minia, Egypt
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23
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Ogilvie LA, Nzakizwanayo J, Guppy FM, Dedi C, Diston D, Taylor H, Ebdon J, Jones BV. Resolution of habitat-associated ecogenomic signatures in bacteriophage genomes and application to microbial source tracking. ISME JOURNAL 2017; 12:942-958. [PMID: 29259289 PMCID: PMC5864186 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-017-0015-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2017] [Revised: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Just as the expansion in genome sequencing has revealed and permitted the exploitation of phylogenetic signals embedded in bacterial genomes, the application of metagenomics has begun to provide similar insights at the ecosystem level for microbial communities. However, little is known regarding this aspect of bacteriophage associated with microbial ecosystems, and if phage encode discernible habitat-associated signals diagnostic of underlying microbiomes. Here we demonstrate that individual phage can encode clear habitat-related 'ecogenomic signatures', based on relative representation of phage-encoded gene homologues in metagenomic data sets. Furthermore, we show the ecogenomic signature encoded by the gut-associated ɸB124-14 can be used to segregate metagenomes according to environmental origin, and distinguish 'contaminated' environmental metagenomes (subject to simulated in silico human faecal pollution) from uncontaminated data sets. This indicates phage-encoded ecological signals likely possess sufficient discriminatory power for use in biotechnological applications, such as development of microbial source tracking tools for monitoring water quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley A Ogilvie
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK.
| | | | - Fergus M Guppy
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK
| | - Cinzia Dedi
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK
| | - David Diston
- Mikrobiologische & Biotechnologische Risiken Bundesamt für Gesundheit BAG, 3003, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Huw Taylor
- School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK
| | - James Ebdon
- School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK
| | - Brian V Jones
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, Brighton, UK.
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24
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Genetic hurdles limit the arms race between Prochlorococcus and the T7-like podoviruses infecting them. ISME JOURNAL 2017; 11:1836-1851. [PMID: 28440802 PMCID: PMC5520035 DOI: 10.1038/ismej.2017.47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Revised: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 02/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Phages and hosts coexist in nature with a high degree of population diversity. This is often explained through coevolutionary models, such as the arms race or density-dependent fluctuating selection, which differ in assumptions regarding the emergence of phage mutants that overcome host resistance. Previously, resistance in the abundant marine cyanobacterium, Prochlorococcus, was found to occur frequently. However, little is known about the ability of phages to overcome this resistance. Here we report that, in some cases, T7-like cyanophage mutants emerge to infect resistant Prochlorococcus strains. These resistance-breaking phages retained the ability to infect the wild-type host. However, fitness of the mutant phages differed on the two hosts. Furthermore, in one case, resistance-breaking was accompanied by costs of decreased fitness on the wild-type host and decreased adsorption specificity, relative to the wild-type phage. In two other cases, fitness on the wild-type host increased. Whole-genome sequencing revealed mutations in probable tail-related genes. These were highly diverse in isolates and natural populations of T7-like cyanophages, suggesting that antagonistic coevolution enhances phage genome diversity. Intriguingly, most interactions did not yield resistance-breaking phages. Thus, resistance mutations raise genetic barriers to continuous arms race cycles and are indicative of an inherent asymmetry in coevolutionary capacity, with hosts having the advantage. Nevertheless, phages coexist with hosts, which we propose relies on combined, parallel action of a limited arms race, fluctuating selection and passive host-switching within diverse communities. Together, these processes generate a constantly changing network of interactions, enabling stable coexistence between hosts and phages in nature.
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25
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Colombet J, Robin A, Sime-Ngando T. Genotypic, size and morphological diversity of virioplankton in a deep oligomesotrophic freshwater lake (Lac Pavin, France). J Environ Sci (China) 2017; 53:48-59. [PMID: 28372760 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2016.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Revised: 05/02/2016] [Accepted: 05/05/2016] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We examined changes in morphological and genomic diversities of viruses by means of transmission electronic microscopy and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) over a nine-month period (April-December 2005) at four different depths in the oligomesotrophic Lac Pavin. We found that the majority of viruses in this lake belonged to the family of Siphoviridae or were untailed, with capsid sizes ranging from 30 to 60nm, and exhibited genome sizes ranging from 15 to 45kb. On average, 12 different genotypes dominated each of the PFGE fingerprints. The highest genomic viral richness was recorded in summer (mean=14 bands per PFGE fingerprint) and in the epilimnion (mean=13 bands per PFGE fingerprint). Among the physico-chemical and biological variables considered, the availability of the hosts appeared to be the main factor regulating the variations in the viral diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Colombet
- Laboratory Microorganisms: Genome and Environment, Clermont University Blaise Pascal, UMR CNRS 6023, 24 avenue des Landais, BP 80026, F-63171 Aubière, France.
| | - Agnès Robin
- CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, 2 place Viala, 34060 Montpellier Cedex 1, France
| | - Télesphore Sime-Ngando
- Laboratory Microorganisms: Genome and Environment, Clermont University Blaise Pascal, UMR CNRS 6023, 24 avenue des Landais, BP 80026, F-63171 Aubière, France
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26
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Thompson LR, Zeng Q, Chisholm SW. Gene Expression Patterns during Light and Dark Infection of Prochlorococcus by Cyanophage. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0165375. [PMID: 27788196 PMCID: PMC5082946 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0165375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Accepted: 10/11/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanophage infecting the marine cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus require light and host photosystem activity for optimal reproduction. Many cyanophages encode multiple photosynthetic electron transport (PET) proteins, which are presumed to maintain electron flow and produce ATP and NADPH for nucleotide biosynthesis and phage genome replication. However, evidence suggests phage augment NADPH production via the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), thus calling into question the need for NADPH production by PET. Genes implicated in cyclic PET have since been identified in cyanophage genomes. It remains an open question which mode of PET, cyclic or linear, predominates in infected cyanobacteria, and thus whether the balance is towards producing ATP or NADPH. We sequenced transcriptomes of a cyanophage (P-HM2) and its host (Prochlorococcus MED4) throughout infection in the light or in the dark, and analyzed these data in the context of phage replication and metabolite measurements. Infection was robust in the light, but phage were not produced in the dark. Host gene transcripts encoding high-light inducible proteins and two terminal oxidases (plastoquinol terminal oxidase and cytochrome c oxidase)-implicated in protecting the photosynthetic membrane from light stress-were the most enriched in light but not dark infection. Among the most diminished transcripts in both light and dark infection was ferredoxin-NADP+ reductase (FNR), which uses the electron acceptor NADP+ to generate NADPH in linear photosynthesis. The phage gene for CP12, which putatively inhibits the Calvin cycle enzyme that receives NADPH from FNR, was highly expressed in light infection. Therefore, both PET production of NADPH and its consumption by carbon fixation are putatively repressed during phage infection in light. Transcriptomic evidence is thus consistent with cyclic photophosphorylation using oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor as the dominant mode of PET under infection, with ATP from PET and NADPH from the PPP producing the energy and reducing equivalents for phage nucleotide biosynthesis and replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke R. Thompson
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail: (LRT); (SWC)
| | - Qinglu Zeng
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Sallie W. Chisholm
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail: (LRT); (SWC)
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27
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Gao EB, Huang Y, Ning D. Metabolic Genes within Cyanophage Genomes: Implications for Diversity and Evolution. Genes (Basel) 2016; 7:genes7100080. [PMID: 27690109 PMCID: PMC5083919 DOI: 10.3390/genes7100080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2016] [Revised: 08/30/2016] [Accepted: 09/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanophages, a group of viruses specifically infecting cyanobacteria, are genetically diverse and extensively abundant in water environments. As a result of selective pressure, cyanophages often acquire a range of metabolic genes from host genomes. The host-derived genes make a significant contribution to the ecological success of cyanophages. In this review, we summarize the host-derived metabolic genes, as well as their origin and roles in cyanophage evolution and important host metabolic pathways, such as the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis, the pentose phosphate pathway, nutrient acquisition and nucleotide biosynthesis. We also discuss the suitability of the host-derived metabolic genes as potential diagnostic markers for the detection of genetic diversity of cyanophages in natural environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- E-Bin Gao
- School of The Environment and Safety Engineering, Jiangsu University, No. 301, Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212013, Jiangsu Province, China.
| | - Youhua Huang
- Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-resources and Ecology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 164, Xingangxi Road, Haizhu District, Guangzhou 5103401, Guangdong Province, China.
| | - Degang Ning
- ACS Key Laboratory of Algae Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 7, Donghu South Road, Wuchang District, Wuhan 430072, Hubei Province, China.
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28
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A novel roseobacter phage possesses features of podoviruses, siphoviruses, prophages and gene transfer agents. Sci Rep 2016; 6:30372. [PMID: 27460944 PMCID: PMC4961962 DOI: 10.1038/srep30372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacteria in the Roseobacter lineage have been studied extensively due to their significant biogeochemical roles in the marine ecosystem. However, our knowledge on bacteriophage which infects the Roseobacter clade is still very limited. Here, we report a new bacteriophage, phage DSS3Φ8, which infects marine roseobacter Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3. DSS3Φ8 is a lytic siphovirus. Genomic analysis showed that DSS3Φ8 is most closely related to a group of siphoviruses, CbK-like phages, which infect freshwater bacterium Caulobacter crescentus. DSS3Φ8 contains a smaller capsid and has a reduced genome size (146 kb) compared to the CbK-like phages (205-279 kb). DSS3Φ8 contains the DNA polymerase gene which is closely related to T7-like podoviruses. DSS3Φ8 also contains the integrase and repressor genes, indicating its potential to involve in lysogenic cycle. In addition, four GTA (gene transfer agent) genes were identified in the DSS3Φ8 genome. Genomic analysis suggests that DSS3Φ8 is a highly mosaic phage that inherits the genetic features from siphoviruses, podoviruses, prophages and GTAs. This is the first report of CbK-like phages infecting marine bacteria. We believe phage isolation is still a powerful tool that can lead to discovery of new phages and help interpret the overwhelming unknown sequences in the viral metagenomics.
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29
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Ou T, Gao XC, Li SH, Zhang QY. Genome analysis and gene nblA identification of Microcystis aeruginosa myovirus (MaMV-DC) reveal the evidence for horizontal gene transfer events between cyanomyovirus and host. J Gen Virol 2016; 96:3681-3697. [PMID: 26399243 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The genome sequence, genetic characterization and nblA gene function of Microcystis aeruginosa myovirus isolated from Lake Dianchi in China (MaMV-DC) have been analysed. The genome DNA is 169 223 bp long, with 170 predicted protein-coding genes (001L–170L) and a tRNA gene. About one-sixth of these genes have homologues in the host cyanobacteria M. aeruginosa. The genome carries a gene homologous to host nblA, which encodes a protein involved in the degradation of cyanobacterial phycobilisome. Its expression during MaMV-DC infection was confirmed by reverse transcriptase PCR and Western blot detection and abundant expression was companied by the significant decline of phycocyanin content and massive release of progeny MaMV-DC. In addition, expressing MaMV-DC nblA reduced the phycocyanin peak and the phycocyanin to chlorophyll ratio in model cyanobacteria. These results confirm that horizontal gene transfer events have occurred between cyanobacterial host and cyanomyovirus and suggest that MaMV-DC carrying host-derived genes (such as 005L, that codes for NblA) is responsible for more efficient expression of cyanophage genes and release of progeny cyanophage. This study provides novel insight into the horizontal gene transfer in cyanophage and the interactions between cyanophage and their host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Ou
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, PR China
| | - Xiao-Chan Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, PR China
| | - San-Hua Li
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, PR China
| | - Qi-Ya Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, PR China
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30
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Westbye AB, Kuchinski K, Yip CK, Beatty JT. The Gene Transfer Agent RcGTA Contains Head Spikes Needed for Binding to the Rhodobacter capsulatus Polysaccharide Cell Capsule. J Mol Biol 2015; 428:477-91. [PMID: 26711507 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2015.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2015] [Revised: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 12/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Viruses and bacteriophages recognize cell surface proteins using receptor-binding proteins. In most tailed bacteriophages, receptor-binding proteins are located on the bacteriophage tail. The gene transfer agent of Rhodobacter capsulatus, RcGTA, morphologically resembles a tailed bacteriophage and binds to a capsular polysaccharide covering R. capsulatus cells. Here, we report that the RcGTA capsid (head) is decorated by spikes that are needed for binding to the capsule. The triangular spikes measured ~12nm and appeared to be attached at the capsid vertices. Head spike production required the putative carbohydrate-binding protein ghsB (rcc01080) previously thought to encode a side tail fiber protein. We found that ghsB is likely co-transcribed with ghsA (rcc01079) and that ghsA/ghsB is regulated by the CckA-ChpT-CtrA phosphorelay homologues and a quorum-sensing system. GhsA and GhsB were found to be CckA-dependent RcGTA maturation factors, as GhsA- and GhsB-deficient particles were found to have altered native-gel electrophoresis migration. Additionally, we provide electron microscopy images showing that RcGTA contains side tail fibers and a baseplate-like structure near the tip of the tail, which are independent of ghsB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander B Westbye
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3
| | - Kevin Kuchinski
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3
| | - Calvin K Yip
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3
| | - J Thomas Beatty
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z3.
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31
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Lin X, Ding H, Zeng Q. Transcriptomic response during phage infection of a marine cyanobacterium under phosphorus-limited conditions. Environ Microbiol 2015; 18:450-60. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.13104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2015] [Revised: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 10/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xingqin Lin
- Division of Life Science; The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Clear Water Bay Hong Kong China
| | - Huiming Ding
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge MA 02139 USA
| | - Qinglu Zeng
- Division of Life Science; The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; Clear Water Bay Hong Kong China
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32
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Comparative Genomic and Phylogenomic Analyses Reveal a Conserved Core Genome Shared by Estuarine and Oceanic Cyanopodoviruses. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0142962. [PMID: 26569403 PMCID: PMC4646655 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2014] [Accepted: 10/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Podoviruses are among the major viral groups that infect marine picocyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus. Here, we reported the genome sequences of five Synechococcus podoviruses isolated from the estuarine environment, and performed comparative genomic and phylogenomic analyses based on a total of 20 cyanopodovirus genomes. The genomes of all the known marine cyanopodoviruses are highly syntenic. A pan-genome of 349 clustered orthologous groups was determined, among which 15 were core genes. These core genes make up nearly half of each genome in length, reflecting the high level of genome conservation among this cyanophage type. The whole genome phylogenies based on concatenated core genes and gene content were highly consistent and confirmed the separation of two discrete marine cyanopodovirus clusters MPP-A and MPP-B. The genomes within cluster MPP-B grouped into subclusters mainly corresponding to Prochlorococcus or Synechococcus host types. Auxiliary metabolic genes tend to occur in a specific phylogenetic group of these cyanopodoviruses. All the MPP-B phages analyzed here encode the photosynthesis gene psbA, which are absent in all the MPP-A genomes thus far. Interestingly, all the MPP-B and two MPP-A Synechococcus podoviruses encode the thymidylate synthase gene thyX, while at the same genome locus all the MPP-B Prochlorococcus podoviruses encode the transaldolase gene talC. Both genes are hypothesized to have the potential to facilitate the biosynthesis of deoxynucleotide for phage replication. Inheritance of specific functional genes could be important to the evolution and ecological fitness of certain cyanophage genotypes. Our analyses demonstrate that cyanopodoviruses of estuarine and oceanic origins share a conserved core genome and suggest that accessory genes may be related to environmental adaptation.
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33
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Puxty RJ, Millard AD, Evans DJ, Scanlan DJ. Shedding new light on viral photosynthesis. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2015; 126:71-97. [PMID: 25381655 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-014-0057-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2014] [Accepted: 10/29/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Viruses infecting the environmentally important marine cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus encode 'auxiliary metabolic genes' (AMGs) involved in the light and dark reactions of photosynthesis. Here, we discuss progress on the inventory of such AMGs in the ever-increasing number of viral genome sequences as well as in metagenomic datasets. We contextualise these gene acquisitions with reference to a hypothesised fitness gain to the phage. We also report new evidence with regard to the sequence and predicted structural properties of viral petE genes encoding the soluble electron carrier plastocyanin. Viral copies of PetE exhibit extensive modifications to the N-terminal signal peptide and possess several novel residues in a region responsible for interaction with redox partners. We also highlight potential knowledge gaps in this field and discuss future opportunities to discover novel phage-host interactions involved in the photosynthetic process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Puxty
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - Andrew D Millard
- Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - David J Evans
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK
| | - David J Scanlan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK.
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34
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Suhanovsky MM, Teschke CM. Nature's favorite building block: Deciphering folding and capsid assembly of proteins with the HK97-fold. Virology 2015; 479-480:487-97. [PMID: 25864106 PMCID: PMC4424165 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2015.02.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2015] [Revised: 02/24/2015] [Accepted: 02/27/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
For many (if not all) bacterial and archaeal tailed viruses and eukaryotic Herpesvirdae the HK97-fold serves as the major architectural element in icosahedral capsid formation while still enabling the conformational flexibility required during assembly and maturation. Auxiliary proteins or Δ-domains strictly control assembly of multiple, identical, HK97-like subunits into procapsids with specific icosahedral symmetries, rather than aberrant non-icosahedral structures. Procapsids are precursor structures that mature into capsids in a process involving release of auxiliary proteins (or cleavage of Δ-domains), dsDNA packaging, and conformational rearrangement of the HK97-like subunits. Some coat proteins built on the ubiquitous HK97-fold also have accessory domains or loops that impart specific functions, such as increased monomer, procapsid, or capsid stability. In this review, we analyze the numerous HK97-like coat protein structures that are emerging in the literature (over 40 at time of writing) by comparing their topology, additional domains, and their assembly and misassembly reactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret M Suhanovsky
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, 91N. Eagleville Rd. Storrs, CT 06269-3125, USA.
| | - Carolyn M Teschke
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, 91N. Eagleville Rd. Storrs, CT 06269-3125, USA; Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, 91N. Eagleville Rd. Storrs, CT 06269-3125, USA.
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35
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Zhu B, Hernandez A, Tan M, Wollenhaupt J, Tabor S, Richardson CC. Synthesis of 2'-Fluoro RNA by Syn5 RNA polymerase. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 43:e94. [PMID: 25897116 PMCID: PMC4538805 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2014] [Accepted: 04/07/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The substitution of 2′-fluoro for 2′-hydroxyl moieties in RNA substantially improves the stability of RNA. RNA stability is a major issue in RNA research and applications involving RNA. We report that the RNA polymerase from the marine cyanophage Syn5 has an intrinsic low discrimination against the incorporation of 2′-fluoro dNMPs during transcription elongation. The presence of both magnesium and manganese ions at high concentrations further reduce this discrimination without decreasing the efficiency of incorporation. We have constructed a Syn5 RNA polymerase in which tyrosine 564 is replaced with phenylalanine (Y564F) that further decreases the discrimination against 2′-fluoro-dNTPs during RNA synthesis. Sequence elements in DNA templates that affect the yield of RNA and incorporation of 2′-fluoro-dNMPs by Syn5 RNA polymerase have been identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Zhu
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alfredo Hernandez
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Min Tan
- Departments of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jan Wollenhaupt
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Free University Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Stanley Tabor
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Charles C Richardson
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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36
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Ou T, Liao XY, Gao XC, Xu XD, Zhang QY. Unraveling the genome structure of cyanobacterial podovirus A-4L with long direct terminal repeats. Virus Res 2015; 203:4-9. [PMID: 25836275 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2015.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2014] [Revised: 03/14/2015] [Accepted: 03/20/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
The freshwater cyanobacterial virus (cyanophage) A-4L, a podovirus, can infect the model cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 resulting in a high burst size and forming concentric plaques on its lawns. The complete genome sequence of A-4L was determined by the combination of high-throughput sequencing, terminal transferase-mediated polymerase chain reaction and restriction mapping. It contains 41,750 bp with 810 bp direct terminal repeats and 38 potential open reading frames. As compared with other cyanobacterial podoviruses in diverse ecosystems, the A-4L has the longest terminal repeat and shares similar genome organizations with freshwater members. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis based on concatenated sequences of eight core proteins indicated that freshwater cyanobacterial podoviruses were clustered together and distinct from marine counterparts, suggesting a clear divergence in the cyanobacterial podovirus lineage between freshwater and marine ecosystems. Our findings uncover the unique genome structure of A-4L which contains long direct terminal repeats, and create the first model system to address knowledge gaps in understanding cyanobacterial virus-host interactions at the molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Ou
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Xiang-Yong Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Xiao-Chan Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Xu-Dong Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Qi-Ya Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China.
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37
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Ma Y, Allen LZ, Palenik B. Diversity and genome dynamics of marine cyanophages using metagenomic analyses. ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2014; 6:583-594. [PMID: 25756111 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.12160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Cyanophages are abundant in the oceanic environment and directly impact cyanobacterial distributions, physiological processes and evolution. Two samples collected from coastal Maine in July and September 2009 were enriched for Synechococcus cells using flow cytometry and examined through metagenomic sequencing. Homology-based sequence prediction indicated cyanophages, largely myoviruses, accounted for almost half the reads and provided insights into environmental infection events. T4-phage core-gene phylogenetic reconstruction revealed unique diversity among uncultured cyanophages and reference isolates resulting in identification of a new phylogenetic cluster. Genomic comparison of reference cyanophage strains S-SM2 and Syn1 with putative homologous contigs recovered from metagenomes provided evidence that gene insertion, deletion and recombination have occurred among, and are likely important for diversification of, natural populations. Identification of putative genetic exchange between cyanophage and non-cyanophage viruses, i.e. Micromonas virus and Pelagibacter phage, supports hypotheses related to a significant role for viruses in mediating transfer of genetic material between taxonomically diverse organisms with overlapping ecological niches.
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Marine cyanophages demonstrate biogeographic patterns throughout the global ocean. Appl Environ Microbiol 2014; 81:441-52. [PMID: 25362060 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02483-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Myoviruses and podoviruses that infect cyanobacteria are the two major groups of marine cyanophages, but little is known of how their phylogenetic lineages are distributed in different habitats. In this study, we analyzed the phylogenetic relationships of cyanopodoviruses and cyanomyoviruses based on the existing genomes. The 28 cyanomyoviruses were classified into four clusters (I to IV), and 19 of the 20 cyanopodoviruses were classified into two clusters, MPP-A and MPP-B, with four subclusters within cluster MPP-B. These genomes were used to recruit cyanophage-like fragments from microbial and viral metagenomes to estimate the relative abundances of these cyanophage lineages. Our results showed that cyanopodoviruses and cyanomyoviruses are both abundant in various marine environments and that clusters MPP-B, II and III appear to be the most dominant lineages. Cyanopodoviruses and cluster I and IV cyanomyoviruses exhibited habitat-related variability in their relative levels of abundance, while cluster II and III cyanomyoviruses appeared to be consistently dominant in various habitats. Multivariate analyses showed that reads that mapped to Synechococcus phages and Prochlorococcus phages had distinct distribution patterns that were significantly correlated to those of Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus, respectively. The Mantel test also revealed a strong correlation between the community compositions of cyanophages and picocyanobacteria. Given that cyanomyoviruses tend to have a broad host range and some can cross-infect Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus, while cyanopodoviruses are commonly host specific, the observation that their community compositions both correlated significantly with that of picocyanobacteria was unexpected. Although cyanomyoviruses and cyanopodoviruses differ in host specificity, their biogeographic distributions are likely both constrained by the picocyanobacterial community.
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Garcia-Heredia I, Rodriguez-Valera F, Martin-Cuadrado AB. Novel group of podovirus infecting the marine bacterium Alteromonas macleodii.. BACTERIOPHAGE 2014; 3:e24766. [PMID: 24228219 PMCID: PMC3821669 DOI: 10.4161/bact.24766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2013] [Revised: 04/22/2013] [Accepted: 04/22/2013] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Four novel, closely related podoviruses, which displayed lytic activity against the gamma-proteobacterium Alteromonas macleodii, have been isolated and sequenced. Alterophages AltAD45-P1 to P4 were obtained from water recovered near a fish farm in the Mediterranean Sea. Their morphology indicates that they belong to the Podoviridae. Their linear and dsDNA genomes are 100–104 kb in size, remarkably larger than any other described podovirus. The four AltAD45-phages share 99% nucleotide sequence identity over 97% of their ORFs, although an insertion was found in AltAD45-P1 and P2 and some regions were slightly more divergent. Despite the high overall sequence similarity among these four phages, the group with the insertion and the group without it, have different host ranges against the A. macleodii strains tested. The AltAD45-P1 to P4 phages have genes for DNA replication and transcription as well as structural genes, which are similar to the N4-like Podoviridae genus that is widespread in proteobacteria. However, in terms of their genomic structure, AltAD45-P1 to P4 differ from that of the N4-like phages. Some distinguishing features include the lack of a large virion encapsidated RNA polymerase gene, very well conserved among all the previously described N4-like phages, a single-stranded DNA binding protein and different tail protein genes. We conclude that the AltAD45 phages characterized in this study constitute a new genus within the Podoviridae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inmaculada Garcia-Heredia
- Evolutionary Genomics Group; División de Microbiología; Universidad Miguel Hernández; San Juan, Alicante Spain
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Clokie MR, Millard AD, Letarov AV, Heaphy S. Phages in nature. BACTERIOPHAGE 2014; 1:31-45. [PMID: 21687533 DOI: 10.4161/bact.1.1.14942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 619] [Impact Index Per Article: 61.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2010] [Revised: 01/17/2011] [Accepted: 01/18/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Bacteriophages or phages are the most abundant organisms in the biosphere and they are a ubiquitous feature of prokaryotic existence. A bacteriophage is a virus which infects a bacterium. Archaea are also infected by viruses, whether these should be referred to as 'phages' is debatable, but they are included as such in the scope this article. Phages have been of interest to scientists as tools to understand fundamental molecular biology, as vectors of horizontal gene transfer and drivers of bacterial evolution, as sources of diagnostic and genetic tools and as novel therapeutic agents. Unraveling the biology of phages and their relationship with their hosts is key to understanding microbial systems and their exploitation. In this article we describe the roles of phages in different host systems and show how modeling, microscopy, isolation, genomic and metagenomic based approaches have come together to provide unparalleled insights into these small but vital constituents of the microbial world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha Rj Clokie
- Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation; Medical Sciences Building; University of Leicester; Leicester, UK
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41
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Zernike phase-contrast electron cryotomography applied to marine cyanobacteria infected with cyanophages. Nat Protoc 2014; 9:2630-42. [PMID: 25321408 DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2014.176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Advances in electron cryotomography have provided new opportunities to visualize the internal 3D structures of a bacterium. An electron microscope equipped with Zernike phase-contrast optics produces images with markedly increased contrast compared with images obtained by conventional electron microscopy. Here we describe a protocol to apply Zernike phase plate technology for acquiring electron tomographic tilt series of cyanophage-infected cyanobacterial cells embedded in ice, without staining or chemical fixation. We detail the procedures for aligning and assessing phase plates for data collection, and methods for obtaining 3D structures of cyanophage assembly intermediates in the host by subtomogram alignment, classification and averaging. Acquiring three or four tomographic tilt series takes ∼12 h on a JEM2200FS electron microscope. We expect this time requirement to decrease substantially as the technique matures. The time required for annotation and subtomogram averaging varies widely depending on the project goals and data volume.
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Dekel-Bird NP, Sabehi G, Mosevitzky B, Lindell D. Host-dependent differences in abundance, composition and host range of cyanophages from the Red Sea. Environ Microbiol 2014; 17:1286-99. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2014] [Accepted: 07/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Naama P. Dekel-Bird
- Faculty of Biology; Technion - Israel Institute of Technology; Haifa 32000 Israel
| | - Gazalah Sabehi
- Faculty of Biology; Technion - Israel Institute of Technology; Haifa 32000 Israel
| | - Bar Mosevitzky
- Faculty of Biology; Technion - Israel Institute of Technology; Haifa 32000 Israel
| | - Debbie Lindell
- Faculty of Biology; Technion - Israel Institute of Technology; Haifa 32000 Israel
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Jover LF, Effler TC, Buchan A, Wilhelm SW, Weitz JS. The elemental composition of virus particles: implications for marine biogeochemical cycles. Nat Rev Microbiol 2014; 12:519-28. [PMID: 24931044 DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro3289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In marine environments, virus-mediated lysis of host cells leads to the release of cellular carbon and nutrients and is hypothesized to be a major driver of carbon recycling on a global scale. However, efforts to characterize the effects of viruses on nutrient cycles have overlooked the geochemical potential of the virus particles themselves, particularly with respect to their phosphorus content. In this Analysis article, we use a biophysical scaling model of intact virus particles that has been validated using sequence and structural information to quantify differences in the elemental stoichiometry of marine viruses compared with their microbial hosts. By extrapolating particle-scale estimates to the ecosystem scale, we propose that, under certain circumstances, marine virus populations could make an important contribution to the reservoir and cycling of oceanic phosphorus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis F Jover
- School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - T Chad Effler
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
| | - Alison Buchan
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
| | - Steven W Wilhelm
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
| | - Joshua S Weitz
- 1] School of Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA. [2] School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
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Gipson P, Baker ML, Raytcheva D, Haase-Pettingell C, Piret J, King JA, Chiu W. Protruding knob-like proteins violate local symmetries in an icosahedral marine virus. Nat Commun 2014; 5:4278. [PMID: 24985522 PMCID: PMC4102127 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms5278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2013] [Accepted: 06/03/2014] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Marine viruses play crucial roles in shaping the dynamics of oceanic microbial communities and in the carbon cycle on Earth. Here we report a 4.7-Å structure of a cyanobacterial virus, Syn5, by electron cryo-microscopy and modelling. A Cα backbone trace of the major capsid protein (gp39) reveals a classic phage protein fold. In addition, two knob-like proteins protruding from the capsid surface are also observed. Using bioinformatics and structure analysis tools, these proteins are identified to correspond to gp55 and gp58 (each with two copies per asymmetric unit). The non 1:1 stoichiometric distribution of gp55/58 to gp39 breaks all expected local symmetries and leads to non-quasi-equivalence of the capsid subunits, suggesting a role in capsid stabilization. Such a structural arrangement has not yet been observed in any known virus structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Preeti Gipson
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Matthew L Baker
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
| | - Desislava Raytcheva
- 1] Department of Microbiology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA [2] Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Cameron Haase-Pettingell
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Jacqueline Piret
- Department of Microbiology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Jonathan A King
- Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Wah Chiu
- Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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Zhu B. Bacteriophage T7 DNA polymerase - sequenase. Front Microbiol 2014; 5:181. [PMID: 24795710 PMCID: PMC3997047 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2014] [Accepted: 04/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
An ideal DNA polymerase for chain-terminating DNA sequencing should possess the following features: (1) incorporate dideoxy- and other modified nucleotides at an efficiency similar to that of the cognate deoxynucleotides; (2) high processivity; (3) high fidelity in the absence of proofreading/exonuclease activity; and (4) production of clear and uniform signals for detection. The DNA polymerase encoded by bacteriophage T7 is naturally endowed with or can be engineered to have all these characteristics. The chemically or genetically modified enzyme (Sequenase) expedited significantly the development of DNA sequencing technology. This article reviews the history of studies on T7 DNA polymerase with emphasis on the serial key steps leading to its use in DNA sequencing. Lessons from the study and development of T7 DNA polymerase have and will continue to enlighten the characterization of novel DNA polymerases from newly discovered microbes and their modification for use in biotechnology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Zhu
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA, USA
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Zhong X, Ram ASP, Colombet J, Jacquet S. Variations in abundance, genome size, morphology, and functional role of the virioplankton in Lakes Annecy and Bourget over a 1-year period. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2014; 67:66-82. [PMID: 24253662 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-013-0320-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2013] [Accepted: 10/24/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
We sampled the surface waters (2-50 m) of two deep peri-alpine lakes over a 1-year period in order to examine (1) the abundance, vertical distribution, genome size, and morphology structures of the virioplankton; (2) the virus-mediated bacterial mortality; and (3) the specific genome size range of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) phytoplankton viruses. Virus-like particle (VLP) concentrations varied between 4.16 × 10(7) (January) and 2.08 × 10(8) part mL(-1) (May) in Lake Bourget and between 2.7 × 10(7) (June) and 8.39 × 10(7) part mL(-1) (November) in Lake Annecy. Our flow cytometry analysis revealed at least three viral groups (referred to as virus-like particles 1, 2, and 3) that exhibited distinctive dynamics suggestive of different host types. Phage-induced bacterial mortality varied between 6.1% (June) and 33.2% (October) in Lake Bourget and between 7.4% (June) and 52.6% (November) in Lake Annecy, suggesting that viral lysis may be a key cause of mortality of the bacterioplankton. Virioplankton genome size ranged from 27 to 486 kb in Lake Bourget, while it reached 620 kb in Lake Annecy for which larger genome sizes were recorded. Our analysis of pulsed field gel electrophoresis bands using different PCR primers targeting both cyanophages and algal viruses showed that (1) dsDNA viruses infecting phytoplankton may range from 65 to 486 kb, and (2) both cyanophage and algal "diversity" were higher in Lake Annecy. Lakes Annecy and Bourget also differed regarding the proportions of both viral families (with the dominance of myoviruses vs. podoviruses) and infected bacterial morphotypes (short rods vs. elongated rods), in each of these lakes, respectively. Overall, our results reveal that (1) viruses displayed distinct temporal and vertical distribution, dynamics, community structure in terms of genome size and morphology, and viral activity in the two lakes; (2) the Myoviridae seemed to be the main cause of bacterial mortality in both lakes and this group seemed to be related to VLP2; and (3) phytoplankton viruses may have a broader range of genome size than previously thought. This study adds to growing evidence that viruses are diverse and play a significant role in freshwater microbial dynamics and more globally lake functioning. It highlights the importance of further considering this biological compartment for a better understanding of plankton ecology in peri-alpine lakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Zhong
- INRA, UMR 042 CARRTEL, 75 Avenue de Corzent, 74203, Thonon-les-Bains cx, France
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Abstract
The marine cyanophage Syn5 can be propagated to a high titer in the laboratory on marine photosynthetic Synechococcus sp. strain WH8109. The purified particles carry a novel slender horn structure projecting from the vertex opposite the tail vertex. The genome of Syn5 includes a number of genes coding for novel proteins. Using immune-electron microscopy with gold-labeled antibodies, we show that two of these novel proteins, products of genes 53 and 54, are part of the horn structure. A third novel protein, the product of gene 58, is assembled onto the icosahedral capsid lattice. Characterization of radioactively labeled precursor procapsids by sucrose gradient centrifugation shows that there appear to be three classes of particles-procapsids, scaffold-deficient procapsids, and expanded capsids. These lack fully assembled horn appendages. The horn presumably assembles onto the virion just before or after DNA packaging. Antibodies raised to the recombinant novel Syn5 proteins did not interfere with phage infectivity, suggesting that the functions of these proteins are not directly involved in phage attachment or infection of the host WH8109. The horn structure may represent some adaption to the marine environment, whose function will require additional investigation.
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Zhu B, Tabor S, Richardson CC. Syn5 RNA polymerase synthesizes precise run-off RNA products. Nucleic Acids Res 2013; 42:e33. [PMID: 24285303 PMCID: PMC3950665 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkt1193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The enzyme predominantly used for in vitro run-off RNA synthesis is bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase. T7 RNA polymerase synthesizes, in addition to run-off products of precise length, transcripts with an additional non-base-paired nucleotide at the 3′-terminus (N + 1 product). This contaminating product is extremely difficult to remove. We recently characterized the single-subunit RNA polymerase from marine cyanophage Syn5 and identified its promoter sequence. This marine enzyme catalyses RNA synthesis over a wider range of temperature and salinity than does T7 RNA polymerase. Its processivity is >30 000 nt without significant intermediate products. The requirement for the initiating nucleotide at the promoter is less stringent for Syn5 RNA polymerase as compared to T7 RNA polymerase. A major difference is the precise run-off transcripts with homogeneous 3′-termini synthesized by Syn5 RNA polymerase. Therefore, the enzyme is advantageous for the production of RNAs that require precise 3′-termini, such as tRNAs and RNA fragments that are used for subsequent assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Zhu
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, 240 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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Prevalence of psbA-containing cyanobacterial podoviruses in the ocean. Sci Rep 2013; 3:3207. [PMID: 24220518 PMCID: PMC3826097 DOI: 10.1038/srep03207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2013] [Accepted: 10/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Podoviruses that infect marine picocyanobacteria are abundant and could play a significant role on regulating host populations due to their specific phage-host relationship. Genome sequencing of cyanophages has unveiled that many marine cyanophages encode certain photosynthetic genes like psbA. It appears that psbA is only present in certain groups of cyanopodovirus isolates. In order to better understand the prevalence of psbA in cyanobacterial podoviruses, we searched the marine metagenomic database (GOS, BATS, HOT and MarineVirome). Our study suggests that 89% of recruited cyanopodovirus scaffolds from the GOS database contained the psbA gene, supporting the ecological relevance of the photosynthesis gene for surface oceanic cyanophages. Diversification between Clade A and B are consistent with recent finding of two major groups of cyanopodoviruses. All the data also shows that Clade B cyanopodoviruses dominate the surface ocean water, while Clade A cyanopodoviruses become more important in the coastal and estuarine environments.
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Dai W, Fu C, Raytcheva D, Flanagan J, Khant HA, Liu X, Rochat RH, Haase-Pettingell C, Piret J, Ludtke SJ, Nagayama K, Schmid MF, King JA, Chiu W. Visualizing virus assembly intermediates inside marine cyanobacteria. Nature 2013; 502:707-10. [PMID: 24107993 PMCID: PMC3984937 DOI: 10.1038/nature12604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2013] [Accepted: 08/27/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic organisms responsible for ~25% of organic carbon fixation on earth. These bacteria began to convert solar energy and carbon dioxide into bioenergy and oxygen billions of years ago. Cyanophages, which infect these bacteria, play an important role in regulating the marine ecosystem by controlling cyanobacteria community organization and mediating lateral gene transfer. Here we visualize the maturation process of cyanophage Syn5 inside its host cell, Synechococcus, using Zernike Phase Contrast (ZPC) electron cryo-tomography (cryoET)1,2. This imaging modality yields significant enhancement of image contrast over conventional cryoET and thus facilitates the direct identification of subcellular components, including thylakoid membranes, carboxysomes and polyribosomes, as well as phages, inside the congested cytosol of the infected cell. By correlating the structural features and relative abundance of viral progeny within cells at different stages of infection, we identified distinct Syn5 assembly intermediates. Our results suggest that the procapsid releases scaffolding proteins and expands its volume at an early stage of genome packaging. Later in assembly, we detected full particles with a tail either with or without an additional horn. The morphogenetic pathway we describe herein is highly conserved and was probably established long before that of double stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses infecting higher life forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Dai
- National Center for Macromolecular Imaging, Verna and Marrs Mclean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
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