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Cook R, Crisci MA, Pye HV, Telatin A, Adriaenssens EM, Santini JM. Decoding huge phage diversity: a taxonomic classification of Lak megaphages. J Gen Virol 2024; 105:001997. [PMID: 38814706 PMCID: PMC11165621 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001997] [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: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
High-throughput sequencing for uncultivated viruses has accelerated the understanding of global viral diversity and uncovered viral genomes substantially larger than any that have so far been cultured. Notably, the Lak phages are an enigmatic group of viruses that present some of the largest known phage genomes identified in human and animal microbiomes, and are dissimilar to any cultivated viruses. Despite the wealth of viral diversity that exists within sequencing datasets, uncultivated viruses have rarely been used for taxonomic classification. We investigated the evolutionary relationships of 23 Lak phages and propose a taxonomy for their classification. Predicted protein analysis revealed the Lak phages formed a deeply branching monophyletic clade within the class Caudoviricetes which contained no other phage genomes. One of the interesting features of this clade is that all current members are characterised by an alternative genetic code. We propose the Lak phages belong to a new order, the 'Grandevirales'. Protein and nucleotide-based analyses support the creation of two families, three sub-families, and four genera within the order 'Grandevirales'. We anticipate that the proposed taxonomy of Lak megaphages will simplify the future classification of related viral genomes as they are uncovered. Continued efforts to classify divergent viruses are crucial to aid common analyses of viral genomes and metagenomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Cook
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Marco A. Crisci
- Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, UCL, London, UK
| | - Hannah V. Pye
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | - Andrea Telatin
- Quadram Institute Bioscience, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, UK
| | | | - Joanne M. Santini
- Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, UCL, London, UK
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2
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Lomeli‐Ortega CO, Balcázar JL. Why tRNA acquisition could be relevant to bacteriophages? Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14464. [PMID: 38635123 PMCID: PMC11025619 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
In this opinion, we discuss the role of tRNAs in phage biology and their importance in DNA replication and phage-host interactions. Phages are a diverse group of obligate bacterial viruses that possess genomes with a wide range of sizes. Among them, we find phages with few genes that depend entirely on their host's translational machinery for replication. However, some phages carry genes for all replication steps and even contain genes for their own translational synthesis. In these cases, the integration of tRNA genes in their genomes is not completely understood, generating different theories about their presence and function during the replication cycle. Although different studies have attempted to elucidate their role, additional studies are needed to clarify the presence and significance of tRNA genes in phages. Moreover, we highlight the importance of tRNA genes in phages from both ecological and therapeutic perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - José Luis Balcázar
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA‐CERCA)GironaSpain
- University of GironaGironaSpain
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3
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Chen L, Banfield JF. COBRA improves the completeness and contiguity of viral genomes assembled from metagenomes. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:737-750. [PMID: 38321183 PMCID: PMC10914622 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-023-01598-2] [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: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Viruses are often studied using metagenome-assembled sequences, but genome incompleteness hampers comprehensive and accurate analyses. Contig Overlap Based Re-Assembly (COBRA) resolves assembly breakpoints based on the de Bruijn graph and joins contigs. Here we benchmarked COBRA using ocean and soil viral datasets. COBRA accurately joined the assembled sequences and achieved notably higher genome accuracy than binning tools. From 231 published freshwater metagenomes, we obtained 7,334 bacteriophage clusters, ~83% of which represent new phage species. Notably, ~70% of these were circular, compared with 34% before COBRA analyses. We expanded sampling of huge phages (≥200 kbp), the largest of which was curated to completion (717 kbp). Improved phage genomes from Rotsee Lake provided context for metatranscriptomic data and indicated the in situ activity of huge phages, whiB-encoding phages and cysC- and cysH-encoding phages. COBRA improves viral genome assembly contiguity and completeness, thus the accuracy and reliability of analyses of gene content, diversity and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- LinXing Chen
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Environmental Science Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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4
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Kienbeck K, Malfertheiner L, Zelger-Paulus S, Johannsen S, von Mering C, Sigel RKO. Identification of HDV-like theta ribozymes involved in tRNA-based recoding of gut bacteriophages. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1559. [PMID: 38378708 PMCID: PMC10879173 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45653-w] [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: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Trillions of microorganisms, collectively known as the microbiome, inhabit our bodies with the gut microbiome being of particular interest in biomedical research. Bacteriophages, the dominant virome constituents, can utilize suppressor tRNAs to switch to alternative genetic codes (e.g., the UAG stop-codon is reassigned to glutamine) while infecting hosts with the standard bacterial code. However, what triggers this switch and how the bacteriophage manipulates its host is poorly understood. Here, we report the discovery of a subgroup of minimal hepatitis delta virus (HDV)-like ribozymes - theta ribozymes - potentially involved in the code switch leading to the expression of recoded lysis and structural phage genes. We demonstrate their HDV-like self-scission behavior in vitro and find them in an unreported context often located with their cleavage site adjacent to tRNAs, indicating a role in viral tRNA maturation and/or regulation. Every fifth associated tRNA is a suppressor tRNA, further strengthening our hypothesis. The vast abundance of tRNA-associated theta ribozymes - we provide 1753 unique examples - highlights the importance of small ribozymes as an alternative to large enzymes that usually process tRNA 3'-ends. Our discovery expands the short list of biological functions of small HDV-like ribozymes and introduces a previously unknown player likely involved in the code switch of certain recoded gut bacteriophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasimir Kienbeck
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Lukas Malfertheiner
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| | | | - Silke Johannsen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Christian von Mering
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland.
| | - Roland K O Sigel
- Department of Chemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland.
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5
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Lou YC, Chen L, Borges AL, West-Roberts J, Firek BA, Morowitz MJ, Banfield JF. Infant gut DNA bacteriophage strain persistence during the first 3 years of life. Cell Host Microbe 2024; 32:35-47.e6. [PMID: 38096814 PMCID: PMC11156429 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.11.015] [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: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Bacteriophages are key components of gut microbiomes, yet the phage colonization process in the infant gut remains uncertain. Here, we establish a large phage sequence database and use strain-resolved analyses to investigate DNA phage succession in infants throughout the first 3 years of life. Analysis of 819 fecal metagenomes collected from 28 full-term and 24 preterm infants and their mothers revealed that early-life phageome richness increases over time and reaches adult-like complexity by age 3. Approximately 9% of early phage colonizers, which are mostly maternally transmitted and infect Bacteroides, persist for 3 years and are more prevalent in full-term than in preterm infants. Although rare, phages with stop codon reassignment are more likely to persist than non-recoded phages and generally display an increase in in-frame reassigned stop codons over 3 years. Overall, maternal seeding, stop codon reassignment, host CRISPR-Cas locus prevalence, and diverse phage populations contribute to stable viral colonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Clare Lou
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - LinXing Chen
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA
| | - Adair L Borges
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jacob West-Roberts
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Brian A Firek
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Michael J Morowitz
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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6
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Liu J, Jaffe AL, Chen L, Bor B, Banfield JF. Host translation machinery is not a barrier to phages that interact with both CPR and non-CPR bacteria. mBio 2023; 14:e0176623. [PMID: 38009957 PMCID: PMC10746230 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.01766-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Here, we profiled putative phages of Saccharibacteria, which are of particular importance as Saccharibacteria influence some human oral diseases. We additionally profiled putative phages of Gracilibacteria and Absconditabacteria, two Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) lineages of interest given their use of an alternative genetic code. Among the phages identified in this study, some are targeted by spacers from both CPR and non-CPR bacteria and others by both bacteria that use the standard genetic code as well as bacteria that use an alternative genetic code. These findings represent new insights into possible phage replication strategies and have relevance for phage therapies that seek to manipulate microbiomes containing CPR bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jett Liu
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
- Department of Microbiology, Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alexander L. Jaffe
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - LinXing Chen
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Batbileg Bor
- Department of Microbiology, Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jillian F. Banfield
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
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7
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Babkin I, Tikunov A, Morozova V, Matveev A, Morozov VV, Tikunova N. Genomes of a Novel Group of Phages That Use Alternative Genetic Code Found in Human Gut Viromes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15302. [PMID: 37894982 PMCID: PMC10607447 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015302] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Metagenomics provides detection of phage genome sequences in various microbial communities. However, the use of alternative genetic codes by some phages precludes the correct analysis of their genomes. In this study, the unusual phage genome (phAss-1, 135,976 bp) was found after the de novo assembly of the human gut virome. Genome analysis revealed the presence of the TAG stop codons in 41 ORFs, including characteristic phage ORFs, and three genes of suppressor tRNA. Comparative analysis indicated that no phages with similar genomes were described. However, two phage genomes (BK046881_ctckW2 and BK025033_ct6IQ4) with substantial similarity to phAss-1 were extracted from the human gut metagenome data. These two complete genomes demonstrated 82.7% and 86.4% of nucleotide identity, respectively, similar genome synteny to phAss-1, the presence of suppressor tRNA genes and suppressor TAG stop codons in many characteristic phage ORFs. These data indicated that phAss-1, BK046881_ctckW2, and BK025033_ct6IQ4 are distinct species within the proposed Phassvirus genus. Moreover, a monophyletic group of divergent phage genomes containing the proposed Phassvirus genus was found among metagenome data. Several phage genomes from the group also contain ORFs with suppressor TAG stop codons, indicating the need to use various translation tables when depositing phage genomes in GenBank.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Babkin
- Federal State Public Scientific Institution «Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine», Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (I.B.); (A.T.); (V.M.); (A.M.); (V.V.M.)
- Department of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Artem Tikunov
- Federal State Public Scientific Institution «Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine», Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (I.B.); (A.T.); (V.M.); (A.M.); (V.V.M.)
- Department of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Vera Morozova
- Federal State Public Scientific Institution «Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine», Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (I.B.); (A.T.); (V.M.); (A.M.); (V.V.M.)
| | - Andrey Matveev
- Federal State Public Scientific Institution «Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine», Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (I.B.); (A.T.); (V.M.); (A.M.); (V.V.M.)
| | - Vitaliy V. Morozov
- Federal State Public Scientific Institution «Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine», Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (I.B.); (A.T.); (V.M.); (A.M.); (V.V.M.)
| | - Nina Tikunova
- Federal State Public Scientific Institution «Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine», Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia; (I.B.); (A.T.); (V.M.); (A.M.); (V.V.M.)
- Department of Natural Sciences, Novosibirsk State University, 630090 Novosibirsk, Russia
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8
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Peng Y, Lu Z, Pan D, Shi LD, Zhao Z, Liu Q, Zhang C, Jia K, Li J, Hubert CRJ, Dong X. Viruses in deep-sea cold seep sediments harbor diverse survival mechanisms and remain genetically conserved within species. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:1774-1784. [PMID: 37573455 PMCID: PMC10504277 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01491-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
Deep sea cold seep sediments have been discovered to harbor novel, abundant, and diverse bacterial and archaeal viruses. However, little is known about viral genetic features and evolutionary patterns in these environments. Here, we examined the evolutionary ecology of viruses across active and extinct seep stages in the area of Haima cold seeps in the South China Sea. A total of 338 viral operational taxonomic units are identified and linked to 36 bacterial and archaeal phyla. The dynamics of host-virus interactions are informed by diverse antiviral defense systems across 43 families found in 487 microbial genomes. Cold seep viruses are predicted to harbor diverse adaptive strategies to persist in this environment, including counter-defense systems, auxiliary metabolic genes, reverse transcriptases, and alternative genetic code assignments. Extremely low nucleotide diversity is observed in cold seep viral populations, being influenced by factors including microbial host, sediment depth, and cold seep stage. Most cold seep viral genes are under strong purifying selection with trajectories that differ depending on whether cold seeps are active or extinct. This work sheds light on the understanding of environmental adaptation mechanisms and evolutionary patterns of viruses in the sub-seafloor biosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongyi Peng
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China
| | - Zijian Lu
- South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China
| | - Donald Pan
- School of Oceanography, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200030, China
| | - Ling-Dong Shi
- College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Zhao Zhao
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519000, China
| | - Qing Liu
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China
| | - Chuwen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Kuntong Jia
- School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China
| | - Jiwei Li
- Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, 572000, China
| | - Casey R J Hubert
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Xiyang Dong
- Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361005, China.
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519000, China.
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Papudeshi B, Vega AA, Souza C, Giles SK, Mallawaarachchi V, Roach MJ, An M, Jacobson N, McNair K, Fernanda Mora M, Pastrana K, Boling L, Leigh C, Harker C, Plewa WS, Grigson SR, Bouras G, Decewicz P, Luque A, Droit L, Handley SA, Wang D, Segall AM, Dinsdale EA, Edwards RA. Host interactions of novel Crassvirales species belonging to multiple families infecting bacterial host, Bacteroides cellulosilyticus WH2. Microb Genom 2023; 9:001100. [PMID: 37665209 PMCID: PMC10569736 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.001100] [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: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Bacteroides, the prominent bacteria in the human gut, play a crucial role in degrading complex polysaccharides. Their abundance is influenced by phages belonging to the Crassvirales order. Despite identifying over 600 Crassvirales genomes computationally, only few have been successfully isolated. Continued efforts in isolation of more Crassvirales genomes can provide insights into phage-host-evolution and infection mechanisms. We focused on wastewater samples, as potential sources of phages infecting various Bacteroides hosts. Sequencing, assembly, and characterization of isolated phages revealed 14 complete genomes belonging to three novel Crassvirales species infecting Bacteroides cellulosilyticus WH2. These species, Kehishuvirus sp. 'tikkala' strain Bc01, Kolpuevirus sp. 'frurule' strain Bc03, and 'Rudgehvirus jaberico' strain Bc11, spanned two families, and three genera, displaying a broad range of virion productions. Upon testing all successfully cultured Crassvirales species and their respective bacterial hosts, we discovered that they do not exhibit co-evolutionary patterns with their bacterial hosts. Furthermore, we observed variations in gene similarity, with greater shared similarity observed within genera. However, despite belonging to different genera, the three novel species shared a unique structural gene that encodes the tail spike protein. When investigating the relationship between this gene and host interaction, we discovered evidence of purifying selection, indicating its functional importance. Moreover, our analysis demonstrated that this tail spike protein binds to the TonB-dependent receptors present on the bacterial host surface. Combining these observations, our findings provide insights into phage-host interactions and present three Crassvirales species as an ideal system for controlled infectivity experiments on one of the most dominant members of the human enteric virome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bhavya Papudeshi
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide SA, 5042, Australia
| | - Alejandro A. Vega
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Cole Souza
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Sarah K. Giles
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide SA, 5042, Australia
| | - Vijini Mallawaarachchi
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide SA, 5042, Australia
| | - Michael J. Roach
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide SA, 5042, Australia
| | - Michelle An
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Nicole Jacobson
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Katelyn McNair
- Computational Science Research Center, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 992182, USA
| | - Maria Fernanda Mora
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Karina Pastrana
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Lance Boling
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Christopher Leigh
- Adelaide Microscopy, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Clarice Harker
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide SA, 5042, Australia
| | - Will S. Plewa
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide SA, 5042, Australia
| | - Susanna R. Grigson
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide SA, 5042, Australia
| | - George Bouras
- Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
| | - Przemysław Decewicz
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide SA, 5042, Australia
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, Warsaw, 02-096, Poland
| | - Antoni Luque
- Computational Science Research Center, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 992182, USA
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 992182, USA
- Present address: Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA
| | - Lindsay Droit
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Scott A. Handley
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - David Wang
- Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Anca M. Segall
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Dinsdale
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide SA, 5042, Australia
| | - Robert A. Edwards
- Flinders Accelerator for Microbiome Exploration, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide SA, 5042, Australia
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10
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Hesketh-Best PJ, Bosco-Santos A, Garcia SL, O’Beirne MD, Werne JP, Gilhooly WP, Silveira CB. Viruses of sulfur oxidizing phototrophs encode genes for pigment, carbon, and sulfur metabolisms. COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT 2023; 4:126. [PMID: 38665202 PMCID: PMC11041744 DOI: 10.1038/s43247-023-00796-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Viral infections modulate bacterial metabolism and ecology. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that viruses influence the ecology of purple and green sulfur bacteria in anoxic and sulfidic lakes, analogs of euxinic oceans in the geologic past. By screening metagenomes from lake sediments and water column, in addition to publicly-available genomes of cultured purple and green sulfur bacteria, we identified almost 300 high and medium-quality viral genomes. Viruses carrying the gene psbA, encoding the small subunit of photosystem II protein D1, were ubiquitous, suggesting viral interference with the light reactions of sulfur oxidizing autotrophs. Viruses predicted to infect these autotrophs also encoded auxiliary metabolic genes for reductive sulfur assimilation as cysteine, pigment production, and carbon fixation. These observations show that viruses have the genomic potential to modulate the production of metabolic markers of phototrophic sulfur bacteria that are used to identify photic zone euxinia in the geologic past.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alice Bosco-Santos
- Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sofia L. Garcia
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL USA
| | - Molly D. O’Beirne
- Department of Geology & Environmental Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - Josef P. Werne
- Department of Geology & Environmental Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA USA
| | - William P. Gilhooly
- Department of Earth Sciences, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN USA
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11
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Smith L, Goldobina E, Govi B, Shkoporov AN. Bacteriophages of the Order Crassvirales: What Do We Currently Know about This Keystone Component of the Human Gut Virome? Biomolecules 2023; 13:584. [PMID: 37189332 PMCID: PMC10136315 DOI: 10.3390/biom13040584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The order Crassvirales comprises dsDNA bacteriophages infecting bacteria in the phylum Bacteroidetes that are found in a variety of environments but are especially prevalent in the mammalian gut. This review summarises available information on the genomics, diversity, taxonomy, and ecology of this largely uncultured viral taxon. With experimental data available from a handful of cultured representatives, the review highlights key properties of virion morphology, infection, gene expression and replication processes, and phage-host dynamics.
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12
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Nyerges A, Vinke S, Flynn R, Owen SV, Rand EA, Budnik B, Keen E, Narasimhan K, Marchand JA, Baas-Thomas M, Liu M, Chen K, Chiappino-Pepe A, Hu F, Baym M, Church GM. A swapped genetic code prevents viral infections and gene transfer. Nature 2023; 615:720-727. [PMID: 36922599 PMCID: PMC10151025 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05824-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/17/2023]
Abstract
Engineering the genetic code of an organism has been proposed to provide a firewall from natural ecosystems by preventing viral infections and gene transfer1-6. However, numerous viruses and mobile genetic elements encode parts of the translational apparatus7-9, potentially rendering a genetic-code-based firewall ineffective. Here we show that such mobile transfer RNAs (tRNAs) enable gene transfer and allow viral replication in Escherichia coli despite the genome-wide removal of 3 of the 64 codons and the previously essential cognate tRNA and release factor genes. We then establish a genetic firewall by discovering viral tRNAs that provide exceptionally efficient codon reassignment allowing us to develop cells bearing an amino acid-swapped genetic code that reassigns two of the six serine codons to leucine during translation. This amino acid-swapped genetic code renders cells resistant to viral infections by mistranslating viral proteomes and prevents the escape of synthetic genetic information by engineered reliance on serine codons to produce leucine-requiring proteins. As these cells may have a selective advantage over wild organisms due to virus resistance, we also repurpose a third codon to biocontain this virus-resistant host through dependence on an amino acid not found in nature10. Our results may provide the basis for a general strategy to make any organism safely resistant to all natural viruses and prevent genetic information flow into and out of genetically modified organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akos Nyerges
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Svenja Vinke
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Regan Flynn
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Siân V Owen
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eleanor A Rand
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Bogdan Budnik
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eric Keen
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Jorge A Marchand
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Min Liu
- GenScript USA Inc., Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | | | | | | | - Michael Baym
- Department of Biomedical Informatics and Laboratory of Systems Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - George M Church
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
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13
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Jaffe AL, Bardot C, Le Jeune AH, Liu J, Colombet J, Perrière F, Billard H, Castelle CJ, Lehours AC, Banfield JF. Variable impact of geochemical gradients on the functional potential of bacteria, archaea, and phages from the permanently stratified Lac Pavin. MICROBIOME 2023; 11:14. [PMID: 36694212 PMCID: PMC9875498 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-022-01416-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Permanently stratified lakes contain diverse microbial communities that vary with depth and so serve as useful models for studying the relationships between microbial community structure and geochemistry. Recent work has shown that these lakes can also harbor numerous bacteria and archaea from novel lineages, including those from the Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR). However, the extent to which geochemical stratification differentially impacts carbon metabolism and overall genetic potential in CPR bacteria compared to other organisms is not well defined. RESULTS Here, we determine the distribution of microbial lineages along an oxygen gradient in Lac Pavin, a deep, stratified lake in central France, and examine the influence of this gradient on their metabolism. Genome-based analyses revealed an enrichment of distinct C1 and CO2 fixation pathways in the oxic lake interface and anoxic zone/sediments, suggesting that oxygen likely plays a role in structuring metabolic strategies in non-CPR bacteria and archaea. Notably, we find that the oxidation of methane and its byproducts is largely spatially separated from methane production, which is mediated by diverse communities of sediment methanogens that vary on the centimeter scale. In contrast, we detected evidence for RuBisCO throughout the water column and sediments, including form II/III and form III-related enzymes encoded by CPR bacteria in the water column and DPANN archaea in the sediments. On the whole, though, CPR bacteria and phages did not show strong signals of gene content differentiation by depth, despite the fact that distinct species groups populate different lake and sediment compartments. CONCLUSIONS Overall, our analyses suggest that environmental gradients in Lac Pavin select for capacities of CPR bacteria and phages to a lesser extent than for other bacteria and archaea. This may be due to the fact that selection in the former groups is indirect and depends primarily on host characteristics. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander L Jaffe
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Corinne Bardot
- Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement (LMGE), UMR CNRS 6023, Université Clermont-Auvergne, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Anne-Hélène Le Jeune
- Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement (LMGE), UMR CNRS 6023, Université Clermont-Auvergne, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Jett Liu
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan Colombet
- Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement (LMGE), UMR CNRS 6023, Université Clermont-Auvergne, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Fanny Perrière
- Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement (LMGE), UMR CNRS 6023, Université Clermont-Auvergne, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Hermine Billard
- Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement (LMGE), UMR CNRS 6023, Université Clermont-Auvergne, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Cindy J Castelle
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Anne-Catherine Lehours
- Laboratoire Microorganismes: Génome et Environnement (LMGE), UMR CNRS 6023, Université Clermont-Auvergne, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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14
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Strathdee SA, Hatfull GF, Mutalik VK, Schooley RT. Phage therapy: From biological mechanisms to future directions. Cell 2023; 186:17-31. [PMID: 36608652 PMCID: PMC9827498 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 124] [Impact Index Per Article: 124.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Increasing antimicrobial resistance rates have revitalized bacteriophage (phage) research, the natural predators of bacteria discovered over 100 years ago. In order to use phages therapeutically, they should (1) preferably be lytic, (2) kill the bacterial host efficiently, and (3) be fully characterized to exclude side effects. Developing therapeutic phages takes a coordinated effort of multiple stakeholders. Herein, we review the state of the art in phage therapy, covering biological mechanisms, clinical applications, remaining challenges, and future directions involving naturally occurring and genetically modified or synthetic phages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffanie A Strathdee
- Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics, Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0507, USA.
| | - Graham F Hatfull
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
| | - Vivek K Mutalik
- Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Robert T Schooley
- Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics, Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0507, USA
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15
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Shulgina Y, Eddy SR. Codetta: predicting the genetic code from nucleotide sequence. Bioinformatics 2023; 39:6895099. [PMID: 36511586 PMCID: PMC9825746 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btac802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 11/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY Codetta is a Python program for predicting the genetic code table of an organism from nucleotide sequences. Codetta can analyze an arbitrary nucleotide sequence and needs no sequence annotation or taxonomic placement. The most likely amino acid decoding for each of the 64 codons is inferred from alignments of profile hidden Markov models of conserved proteins to the input sequence. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION Codetta 2.0 is implemented as a Python 3 program for MacOS and Linux and is available from http://eddylab.org/software/codetta/codetta2.tar.gz and at http://github.com/kshulgina/codetta. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yekaterina Shulgina
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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16
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Zürcher JF, Robertson WE, Kappes T, Petris G, Elliott TS, Salmond GPC, Chin JW. Refactored genetic codes enable bidirectional genetic isolation. Science 2022; 378:516-523. [PMID: 36264827 PMCID: PMC7614150 DOI: 10.1126/science.add8943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The near-universal genetic code defines the correspondence between codons in genes and amino acids in proteins. We refactored the structure of the genetic code in Escherichia coli and created orthogonal genetic codes that restrict the escape of synthetic genetic information into natural life. We developed orthogonal and mutually orthogonal horizontal gene transfer systems, which permit the transfer of genetic information between organisms that use the same genetic code but restrict the transfer of genetic information between organisms that use different genetic codes. Moreover, we showed that locking refactored codes into synthetic organisms completely blocks invasion by mobile genetic elements, including viruses, which carry their own translation factors and successfully invade organisms with canonical and compressed genetic codes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme F. Zürcher
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Tomás Kappes
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gianluca Petris
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | - Thomas S. Elliott
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Jason W. Chin
- Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK,Correspondence to:
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17
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Diversity and Ecology of Caudoviricetes Phages with Genome Terminal Repeats in Fecal Metagenomes from Four Dutch Cohorts. Viruses 2022; 14:v14102305. [PMID: 36298860 PMCID: PMC9610469 DOI: 10.3390/v14102305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The human gut harbors numerous viruses infecting the human host, microbes, and other inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract. Most of these viruses remain undiscovered, and their influence on human health is unknown. Here, we characterize viral genomes in gut metagenomic data from 1950 individuals from four population and patient cohorts. We focus on a subset of viruses that is highly abundant in the gut, remains largely uncharacterized, and allows confident complete genome identification—phages that belong to the class Caudoviricetes and possess genome terminal repeats. We detect 1899 species-level units belonging to this subset, 19% of which do not have complete representative genomes in major public gut virome databases. These units display diverse genomic features, are predicted to infect a wide range of microbial hosts, and on average account for <1% of metagenomic reads. Analysis of longitudinal data from 338 individuals shows that the composition of this fraction of the virome remained relatively stable over a period of 4 years. We also demonstrate that 54 species-level units are highly prevalent (detected in >5% of individuals in a cohort). Finally, we find 34 associations between highly prevalent phages and human phenotypes, 24 of which can be explained by the relative abundance of potential hosts.
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18
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Peters SL, Borges AL, Giannone RJ, Morowitz MJ, Banfield JF, Hettich RL. Experimental validation that human microbiome phages use alternative genetic coding. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5710. [PMID: 36175428 PMCID: PMC9523058 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-32979-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous bioinformatic analyses of metagenomic data have indicated that bacteriophages can use genetic codes different from those of their host bacteria. In particular, reassignment of stop codon TAG to glutamine (a variation known as 'genetic code 15') has been predicted. Here, we use LC-MS/MS-based metaproteomics of human fecal samples to provide experimental evidence of the use of genetic code 15 in two crAss-like phages. Furthermore, the proteomic data from several phage structural proteins supports the reassignment of the TAG stop codon to glutamine late in the phage infection cycle. Thus, our work experimentally validates the expression of genetic code 15 in human microbiome phages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha L Peters
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
- Graduate School of Genome Science and Technology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Adair L Borges
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | - Michael J Morowitz
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Jillian F Banfield
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Robert L Hettich
- Biosciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA.
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