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Watanabe R, Song C, Takemura M, Murata K. Subnanometer structure of medusavirus capsid during maturation using cryo-electron microscopy. J Virol 2024; 98:e0043624. [PMID: 39194243 PMCID: PMC11406985 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00436-24] [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: 03/07/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Medusavirus is a giant virus classified into an independent family of Mamonoviridae. Amoebae infected with medusavirus release immature particles in addition to virions. These particles were suggested to exhibit the maturation process of this virus, but the structure of these capsids during maturation remains unknown. Here, we apply a block-based reconstruction method in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) single particle analysis to these viral capsids, extending the resolution to 7-10 Å. The maps reveal a novel network composed of minor capsid proteins (mCPs) supporting major capsid proteins (MCPs). A predicted molecular model of the MCP fitted into the cryo-EM maps clarified the boundaries between the MCP and the underlining mCPs, as well as between the MCP and the outer spikes, and identified molecular interactions between the MCP and these components. Several structural changes of the mCPs under the fivefold vertices of the immature particles were observed, depending on the presence or absence of the underlying internal membrane. In addition, the lower part of the penton proteins on the fivefold vertices was also missing in mature virions. These dynamic conformational changes of mCPs indicate an important function in the maturation process of medusavirus.IMPORTANCEThe structural changes of giant virus capsids during maturation have not thus far been well clarified. Medusavirus is a unique giant virus in which infected amoebae release immature particles in addition to mature virus particles. In this study, we used cryo-electron microscopy to investigate immature and mature medusavirus particles and elucidate the structural changes of the viral capsid during the maturation process. In DNA-empty particles, the conformation of the minor capsid proteins changed dynamically depending on the presence or absence of the underlying internal membranes. In DNA-full particles, the lower part of the penton proteins was lost. This is the first report of structural changes of the viral capsid during the maturation process of giant viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryoto Watanabe
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
| | - Chihong Song
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
| | - Masaharu Takemura
- Institute of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Murata
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
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2
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Aquino ILM, Reis ES, Moreira ROAM, Arias NEC, Barcelos MG, Queiroz VF, Arifa RDDN, Lucas LMB, Tatara JM, Souza DG, Costa A, Rosa L, Almeida GMF, Kroon EG, Abrahão JS. Giant viruses inhibit superinfection by downregulating phagocytosis in Acanthamoeba. J Virol 2024:e0104524. [PMID: 39225468 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01045-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
In the context of the virosphere, viral particles can compete for host cells. In this scenario, some viruses block the entry of exogenous virions upon infecting a cell, a phenomenon known as superinfection inhibition. The molecular mechanisms associated with superinfection inhibition vary depending on the viral species and the host, but generally, blocking superinfection ensures the genetic supremacy of the virus's progeny that first infects the cell. Giant amoeba-infecting viruses have attracted the scientific community's attention due to the complexity of their particles and genomes. However, there are no studies on the occurrence of superinfection and its inhibition induced by giant viruses. This study shows that mimivirus, moumouvirus, and megavirus, exhibit different strategies related to the infection of Acanthamoeba. For the first time, we have reported that mimivirus and moumouvirus induce superinfection inhibition in amoebas. Interestingly, megaviruses do not exhibit this ability, allowing continuous entry of exogenous virions into infected amoebas. Our investigation into the mechanisms behind superinfection blockage reveals that mimivirus and moumouvirus inhibit amoebic phagocytosis, leading to significant changes in the morphology and activity of the host cells. In contrast, megavirus-infected amoebas continue incorporating newly formed virions, negatively affecting the available viral progeny. This effect, however, is reversible with chemical inhibition of phagocytosis. This work contributes to the understanding of superinfection and its inhibition in mimivirus, moumouvirus, and megavirus, demonstrating that despite their evolutionary relatedness, these viruses exhibit profound differences in their interactions with their hosts.IMPORTANCESome viruses block the entry of new virions upon infecting a cell, a phenomenon known as superinfection inhibition. Superinfection inhibition in giant viruses has yet to be studied. This study reveals that even closely related viruses, such as mimivirus, moumouvirus, and megavirus, have different infection strategies for Acanthamoeba. For the first time, we have reported that mimivirus and moumouvirus induce superinfection inhibition in amoebas. In contrast, megaviruses do not exhibit this ability, allowing continuous entry of exogenous virions into infected amoebas. Our investigation shows that mimivirus and moumouvirus inhibit amoebic phagocytosis, causing significant changes in host cell morphology and activity. Megavirus-infected amoebas, however, continue incorporating newly formed viruses, affecting viral progeny. This research enhances our understanding of superinfection inhibition in these viruses, highlighting their differences in host interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella L M Aquino
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Erik Sousa Reis
- Laboratório de Virologia Básica e Aplicada (LVBA), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rafaella Oliveira Almeida Mattos Moreira
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Nídia Esther Colquehuanca Arias
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Matheus Gomes Barcelos
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Victória Fulgêncio Queiroz
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Raquel Duque do Nascimento Arifa
- Laboratory of Microorganism-Host Interaction, Department of Microbiology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Larissa Mendes Barbosa Lucas
- Laboratory of Microorganism-Host Interaction, Department of Microbiology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Juliana Miranda Tatara
- The Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Daniele G Souza
- Laboratory of Microorganism-Host Interaction, Department of Microbiology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Adriana Costa
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Luiz Rosa
- Laboratório de Microbiologia Polar e Conexões Tropicais, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Gabriel M F Almeida
- The Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Erna Geessien Kroon
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jônatas S Abrahão
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Kijima S, Hikida H, Delmont TO, Gaïa M, Ogata H. Complex Genomes of Early Nucleocytoviruses Revealed by Ancient Origins of Viral Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae149. [PMID: 39099254 PMCID: PMC11304981 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae149] [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: 03/05/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs), also known as tRNA ligases, are essential enzymes in translation. Owing to their functional essentiality, these enzymes are conserved in all domains of life and used as informative markers to trace the evolutionary history of cellular organisms. Unlike cellular organisms, viruses generally lack aaRSs because of their obligate parasitic nature, but several large and giant DNA viruses in the phylum Nucleocytoviricota encode aaRSs in their genomes. The discovery of viral aaRSs led to the idea that the phylogenetic analysis of aaRSs can shed light on ancient viral evolution. However, conflicting results have been reported from previous phylogenetic studies: one posited that nucleocytoviruses recently acquired their aaRSs from their host eukaryotes, while another hypothesized that the viral aaRSs have ancient origins. Here, we investigated 4,168 nucleocytovirus genomes, including metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) derived from large-scale metagenomic studies. In total, we identified 780 viral aaRS sequences in 273 viral genomes. We generated and examined phylogenetic trees of these aaRSs with a large set of cellular sequences to trace evolutionary relationships between viral and cellular aaRSs. The analyses suggest that the origins of some viral aaRSs predate the last common eukaryotic ancestor. Inside viral aaRS clades, we identify intricate evolutionary trajectories of viral aaRSs with horizontal transfers, losses, and displacements. Overall, these results suggest that ancestral nucleocytoviruses already developed complex genomes with an expanded set of aaRSs in the proto-eukaryotic era.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soichiro Kijima
- Chemical Life Science, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Hikida
- Chemical Life Science, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
| | - Tom O Delmont
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ. Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91057 Evry, France
| | - Morgan Gaïa
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ. Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91057 Evry, France
| | - Hiroyuki Ogata
- Chemical Life Science, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
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Nunes GHP, Oliveira JDS, Essus VA, Guimarães AJ, Pontes B, Cortines JR. Cytopathic effects in Mimivirus infection: understanding the kinetics of virus-cell interaction. Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz 2024; 119:e230186. [PMID: 39045993 DOI: 10.1590/0074-02760230186] [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: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Giant viruses have brought new insights into different aspects of virus-cell interactions. The resulting cytopathic effects from these interactions are one of the main aspects of infection assessment in a laboratory routine, mainly reflecting on the morphological features of an infected cell. OBJECTIVES In this work, we follow the entire kinetics of the cytopathic effect in cells infected by viruses of the Mimiviridae family, spatiotemporally quantifying typical features such as cell roundness, loss of motility, decrease in cell area and cell lysis. METHODS Infections by Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus (APMV), Tupanvirus (TPV) and M4 were carried out at multiplicity of infection (MOI) 1 and MOI 10 in Acanthamoeba castellanii. Monitoring of infections was carried out using time lapse microscopy for up to 72 hours. The images were analyzed using ImageJ software. FINDINGS The data obtained indicate that APMV is the slowest virus in inducing the cytopathic effects of rounding, decrease in cell area, mobility and cell lysis. However, it is the only virus whose MOI increase accelerates the lysis process of infected cells. In turn, TPV and M4 rapidly induce morphological and behavioral changes. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that mimiviruses induce different temporal responses within the host cell and that it is possible to use these kinetic data to facilitate the understanding of infection by these viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Henrique Pereira Nunes
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Departamento de Virologia, Laboratório de Virologia e Espectrometria de Massas, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Juliana Dos Santos Oliveira
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Departamento de Virologia, Laboratório de Virologia e Espectrometria de Massas, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Victor Alejandro Essus
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Departamento de Virologia, Laboratório de Virologia e Espectrometria de Massas, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Allan J Guimarães
- Universidade Federal Fluminense, Instituto Biomédico, Departamento de Microbiologia e Parasitologia, Niterói, RJ, Brasil
| | - Bruno Pontes
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas & Centro Nacional de Biologia Estrutural e Bioimagem, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Juliana Reis Cortines
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Departamento de Virologia, Laboratório de Virologia e Espectrometria de Massas, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
- University of Connecticut, Department of Chemistry, Storrs, CT, USA
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Liang JL, Feng SW, Jia P, Lu JL, Yi X, Gao SM, Wu ZH, Liao B, Shu WS, Li JT. Unraveling the habitat preferences, ecological drivers, potential hosts, and auxiliary metabolism of soil giant viruses across China. MICROBIOME 2024; 12:136. [PMID: 39039586 PMCID: PMC11265010 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01851-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Soil giant viruses are increasingly believed to have profound effects on ecological functioning by infecting diverse eukaryotes. However, their biogeography and ecology remain poorly understood. RESULTS In this study, we analyzed 333 soil metagenomes from 5 habitat types (farmland, forest, grassland, Gobi desert, and mine wasteland) across China and identified 533 distinct giant virus phylotypes affiliated with nine families, thereby greatly expanding the diversity of soil giant viruses. Among the nine families, Pithoviridae were the most diverse. The majority of phylotypes exhibited a heterogeneous distribution among habitat types, with a remarkably high proportion of unique phylotypes in mine wasteland. The abundances of phylotypes were negatively correlated with their environmental ranges. A total of 76 phylotypes recovered in this study were detectable in a published global topsoil metagenome dataset. Among climatic, geographical, edaphic, and biotic characteristics, soil eukaryotes were identified as the most important driver of beta-diversity of giant viral communities across habitat types. Moreover, co-occurrence network analysis revealed some pairings between giant viral phylotypes and eukaryotes (protozoa, fungi, and algae). Analysis of 44 medium- to high-quality giant virus genomes recovered from our metagenomes uncovered not only their highly shared functions but also their novel auxiliary metabolic genes related to carbon, sulfur, and phosphorus cycling. CONCLUSIONS These findings extend our knowledge of diversity, habitat preferences, ecological drivers, potential hosts, and auxiliary metabolism of soil giant viruses. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie-Liang Liang
- Institute of Ecological Science, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China
| | - Shi-Wei Feng
- Institute of Ecological Science, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China
| | - Pu Jia
- Institute of Ecological Science, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China
| | - Jing-Li Lu
- Institute of Ecological Science, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China
| | - Xinzhu Yi
- Institute of Ecological Science, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China
| | - Shao-Ming Gao
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhuo-Hui Wu
- Institute of Ecological Science, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China
| | - Bin Liao
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, People's Republic of China
| | - Wen-Sheng Shu
- Institute of Ecological Science, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China
| | - Jin-Tian Li
- Institute of Ecological Science, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Subtropical Biodiversity and Biomonitoring, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Plant Development, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510631, People's Republic of China.
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Waschestjuk D, Murata K, Takemura M. Complete genome sequence of Tornadovirus japonicus, a relative of Pacmanvirus, isolated from the Tamagawa River in Japan. Microbiol Resour Announc 2024; 13:e0026524. [PMID: 38860801 PMCID: PMC11256800 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00265-24] [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: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Here, we report the isolation and genome sequencing of a new Pacmanvirus-related isolate, Tornadovirus japonicus, from the Tamagawa River in Japan. This icosahedral virus has a genome of approximately 380 kb and 465 open reading frames, including two tRNA genes. The name "tornado" is based on its morphological features revealed by transmission electron microscopy analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Waschestjuk
- Graduate School of Science, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
- Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Kazuyoshi Murata
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institute of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Department of Physiological Sciences, School of Life Science, Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
| | - Masaharu Takemura
- Graduate School of Science, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
- Laboratory of Biology, Institute of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
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Irwin NAT, Richards TA. Self-assembling viral histones are evolutionary intermediates between archaeal and eukaryotic nucleosomes. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:1713-1724. [PMID: 38806669 PMCID: PMC11222145 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01707-9] [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: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Nucleosomes are DNA-protein complexes composed of histone proteins that form the basis of eukaryotic chromatin. The nucleosome was a key innovation during eukaryotic evolution, but its origin from histone homologues in Archaea remains unclear. Viral histone repeats, consisting of multiple histone paralogues within a single protein, may reflect an intermediate state. Here we examine the diversity of histones encoded by Nucleocytoviricota viruses. We identified 258 histones from 168 viral metagenomes with variable domain configurations including histone singlets, doublets, triplets and quadruplets, the latter comprising the four core histones arranged in series. Viral histone repeats branch phylogenetically between Archaea and eukaryotes and display intermediate functions in Escherichia coli, self-assembling into eukaryotic-like nucleosomes that stack into archaeal-like oligomers capable of impacting genomic activity and condensing DNA. Histone linkage also facilitates nucleosome formation, promoting eukaryotic histone assembly in E. coli. These data support the hypothesis that viral histone repeats originated in stem-eukaryotes and that nucleosome evolution proceeded through histone repeat intermediates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A T Irwin
- Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Gregor Mendel Institute (GMI), Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna BioCenter (VBC), Vienna, Austria.
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8
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Zhao H, Meng L, Hikida H, Ogata H. Eukaryotic genomic data uncover an extensive host range of mirusviruses. Curr Biol 2024; 34:2633-2643.e3. [PMID: 38806056 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.085] [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: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
A recent marine metagenomic study has revealed the existence of a novel group of viruses designated mirusviruses, which are proposed to form an evolutionary link between two realms of double-stranded DNA viruses, Varidnaviria and Duplodnaviria. Metagenomic data suggest that mirusviruses infect microeukaryotes in the photic layer of the ocean, but their host range remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the presence of mirusvirus marker genes in 1,901 publicly available eukaryotic genome assemblies, mainly derived from unicellular eukaryotes, to identify potential hosts of mirusviruses. Mirusvirus marker sequences were identified in 915 assemblies spanning 227 genera across eight supergroups of eukaryotes. The habitats of the putative mirusvirus hosts included not only marine but also other diverse environments. Among the major capsid protein (MCP) signals in the genome assemblies, we identified 85 sequences that showed high sequence and structural similarities to reference mirusvirus MCPs. A phylogenetic analysis of these sequences revealed their distant evolutionary relationships with the seven previously reported mirusvirus clades. Most of the scaffolds with these MCP sequences encoded multiple mirusvirus homologs, suggesting that mirusviral infection contributes to the alteration of the host genome. We also identified three circular mirusviral genomes within the genomic data of the oil-producing thraustochytrid Schizochytrium sp. and the endolithic green alga Ostreobium quekettii. Overall, mirusviruses probably infect a wide spectrum of eukaryotes and are more diverse than previously reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongda Zhao
- Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
| | - Lingjie Meng
- Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Hikida
- Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Ogata
- Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan.
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9
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Machado TB, de Aquino ILM, Azevedo BL, Serafim MS, Barcelos MG, Andrade ACSP, Reis E, Ullmann LS, Pessoa J, Costa AO, Rosa LH, Abrahão JS. A long-term prospecting study on giant viruses in terrestrial and marine Brazilian biomes. Virol J 2024; 21:135. [PMID: 38858684 PMCID: PMC11165748 DOI: 10.1186/s12985-024-02404-z] [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: 05/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The discovery of mimivirus in 2003 prompted the search for novel giant viruses worldwide. Despite increasing interest, the diversity and distribution of giant viruses is barely known. Here, we present data from a 2012-2022 study aimed at prospecting for amoebal viruses in water, soil, mud, and sewage samples across Brazilian biomes, using Acanthamoeba castellanii for isolation. A total of 881 aliquots from 187 samples covering terrestrial and marine Brazilian biomes were processed. Electron microscopy and PCR were used to identify the obtained isolates. Sixty-seven amoebal viruses were isolated, including mimiviruses, marseilleviruses, pandoraviruses, cedratviruses, and yaraviruses. Viruses were isolated from all tested sample types and almost all biomes. In comparison to other similar studies, our work isolated a substantial number of Marseillevirus and cedratvirus representatives. Taken together, our results used a combination of isolation techniques with microscopy, PCR, and sequencing and put highlight on richness of giant virus present in different terrestrial and marine Brazilian biomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talita B Machado
- Laboratório de vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte city, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Isabella L M de Aquino
- Laboratório de vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte city, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Bruna L Azevedo
- Laboratório de vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte city, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Mateus S Serafim
- Laboratório de vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte city, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Matheus G Barcelos
- Laboratório de vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte city, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Ana Cláudia S P Andrade
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec, Université Laval, Laval city, Québec, Canada
| | - Erik Reis
- Laboratório de virologia básica e aplicada, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte city, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Leila Sabrina Ullmann
- Laboratório de Virologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FAMEZ), Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Campo Grande city, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - João Pessoa
- Laboratório de Virologia, Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu city, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Adriana O Costa
- Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte city, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Luiz H Rosa
- Laboratório de Microbiologia Polar e Conexões Tropicais, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte city, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jônatas S Abrahão
- Laboratório de vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte city, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
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10
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Queiroz VF, Rodrigues RAL, Abrahão JS. A taxonomic proposal for cedratviruses, orpheoviruses, and pithoviruses. Arch Virol 2024; 169:132. [PMID: 38822903 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-024-06055-x] [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: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Orpheoviruses, cedratviruses, and pithoviruses are large DNA viruses that cluster together taxonomically within the order Pimascovirales of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota. However, they were not classified previously by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the gene content, morphology, and phylogenomics of these viruses, providing data that underpinned the recent proposal to establish new taxa for their initial classification. The new taxonomy, which has now been ratified by the ICTV, includes the family Orpheoviridae and genus Alphaorpheovirus, the family Pithoviridae and genus Alphapithovirus, and the family Cedratviridae and genus Alphacedratvirus, aiming to formally catalogue the isolates covered in this study. Additionally, as per the newly adopted rules, we applied standardized binomial names for the virus species created to classify isolates with complete genome sequences available in public databases at the time of the proposal. The specific epithet of each virus species was chosen as a reference to the location where the exemplar virus was isolated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victória F Queiroz
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, MG, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo A L Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, MG, Brazil
| | - Jônatas Santos Abrahão
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, MG, Brazil.
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11
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Fromm A, Hevroni G, Vincent F, Schatz D, Martinez-Gutierrez CA, Aylward FO, Vardi A. Single-cell RNA-seq of the rare virosphere reveals the native hosts of giant viruses in the marine environment. Nat Microbiol 2024; 9:1619-1629. [PMID: 38605173 PMCID: PMC11265207 DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01669-y] [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: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Giant viruses (phylum Nucleocytoviricota) are globally distributed in aquatic ecosystems. They play fundamental roles as evolutionary drivers of eukaryotic plankton and regulators of global biogeochemical cycles. However, we lack knowledge about their native hosts, hindering our understanding of their life cycle and ecological importance. In the present study, we applied a single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) approach to samples collected during an induced algal bloom, which enabled pairing active giant viruses with their native protist hosts. We detected hundreds of single cells from multiple host lineages infected by diverse giant viruses. These host cells included members of the algal groups Chrysophycae and Prymnesiophycae, as well as heterotrophic flagellates in the class Katablepharidaceae. Katablepharids were infected with a rare Imitervirales-07 giant virus lineage expressing a large repertoire of cell-fate regulation genes. Analysis of the temporal dynamics of these host-virus interactions revealed an important role for the Imitervirales-07 in controlling the population size of the host Katablepharid population. Our results demonstrate that scRNA-seq can be used to identify previously undescribed host-virus interactions and study their ecological importance and impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Fromm
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Gur Hevroni
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Google Geo, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Flora Vincent
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
- Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biological Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Daniella Schatz
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | | | - Frank O Aylward
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
| | - Assaf Vardi
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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12
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Akashi M, Takemura M, Suzuki S. Continuous year-round isolation of giant viruses from brackish shoreline soils. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1402690. [PMID: 38756730 PMCID: PMC11096492 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1402690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Giant viruses, categorized under Nucleocytoviricota, are believed to exist ubiquitously in natural environments. However, comprehensive reports on isolated giant viruses remain scarce, with limited information available on unrecoverable strains, viral proliferation sites, and natural hosts. Previously, the author highlighted Pandoravirus hades, Pandoravirus persephone, and Mimivirus sp. styx, isolated from brackish water soil, as potential hotspots for giant virus multiplication. This study presents findings from nearly a year of monthly sampling within the same brackish water region after isolating the three aforementioned strains. This report details the recurrent isolation of a wide range of giant viruses. Each month, four soil samples were randomly collected from an approximately 5 × 10 m plot, comprising three soil samples and one water sample containing sediment from the riverbed. Acanthamoeba castellanii was used as a host for virus isolation. These efforts consistently yielded at least one viral species per month, culminating in a total of 55 giant virus isolates. The most frequently isolated species was Mimiviridae (24 isolates), followed by Marseilleviridae (23 isolates), Pandoravirus (6 isolates), and singular isolates of Pithovirus and Cedratvirus. Notably, viruses were not consistently isolated from any of the four samples every month, with certain sites yielding no viruses. Cluster analysis based on isolate numbers revealed that soil samples from May and water and sediment samples from January produced the highest number of viral strains. These findings underscore brackish coastal soil as a significant site for isolating numerous giant viruses, highlighting the non-uniform distribution along coastlines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motohiro Akashi
- Department of Science and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Seikei University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaharu Takemura
- Institute of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Seiichi Suzuki
- Department of Science and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Seikei University, Tokyo, Japan
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13
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Felipe Benites L, Stephens TG, Van Etten J, James T, Christian WC, Barry K, Grigoriev IV, McDermott TR, Bhattacharya D. Hot springs viruses at Yellowstone National Park have ancient origins and are adapted to thermophilic hosts. Commun Biol 2024; 7:312. [PMID: 38594478 PMCID: PMC11003980 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05931-1] [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: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Geothermal springs house unicellular red algae in the class Cyanidiophyceae that dominate the microbial biomass at these sites. Little is known about host-virus interactions in these environments. We analyzed the virus community associated with red algal mats in three neighboring habitats (creek, endolithic, soil) at Lemonade Creek, Yellowstone National Park (YNP), USA. We find that despite proximity, each habitat houses a unique collection of viruses, with the giant viruses, Megaviricetes, dominant in all three. The early branching phylogenetic position of genes encoded on metagenome assembled virus genomes (vMAGs) suggests that the YNP lineages are of ancient origin and not due to multiple invasions from mesophilic habitats. The existence of genomic footprints of adaptation to thermophily in the vMAGs is consistent with this idea. The Cyanidiophyceae at geothermal sites originated ca. 1.5 Bya and are therefore relevant to understanding biotic interactions on the early Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Felipe Benites
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Timothy G Stephens
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Julia Van Etten
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Evolution, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - Timeeka James
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA
| | - William C Christian
- Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Kerrie Barry
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Igor V Grigoriev
- U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Timothy R McDermott
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Debashish Bhattacharya
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA.
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14
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Morimoto D, Tateishi N, Takahashi M, Nagasaki K. Isolation of viruses, including mollivirus, with the potential to infect Acanthamoeba from a Japanese warm temperate zone. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301185. [PMID: 38547190 PMCID: PMC10977731 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Acanthamoeba castellanii is infected with diverse nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses. Here, we report the co-isolation of 12 viral strains from marine sediments in Uranouchi Inlet, Kochi, Japan. Based on the morphological features revealed by electron microscopy, these isolates were classified into four viral groups including Megamimiviridae, Molliviridae, Pandoraviridae, and Pithoviridae. Genomic analyses indicated that these isolates showed high similarities to the known viral genomes with which they are taxonomically clustered, and their phylogenetic relationships were also supported by core gene similarities. It is noteworthy that Molliviridae was isolated from the marine sediments in the Japanese warm temperate zone because other strains have only been found in the subarctic region. Furthermore, this strain has 19 and 4 strain-specific genes found in Mollivirus sibericum and Mollivirus kamchatka, respectively. This study extends our knowledge about the habitat and genomic diversity of Molliviridae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daichi Morimoto
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
| | - Naohisa Tateishi
- Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
| | | | - Keizo Nagasaki
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
- Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
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15
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Queiroz VF, Tatara JM, Botelho BB, Rodrigues RAL, Almeida GMDF, Abrahao JS. The consequences of viral infection on protists. Commun Biol 2024; 7:306. [PMID: 38462656 PMCID: PMC10925606 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06001-2] [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: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Protists encompass a vast widely distributed group of organisms, surpassing the diversity observed in metazoans. Their diverse ecological niches and life forms are intriguing characteristics that render them valuable subjects for in-depth cell biology studies. Throughout history, viruses have played a pivotal role in elucidating complex cellular processes, particularly in the context of cellular responses to viral infections. In this comprehensive review, we provide an overview of the cellular alterations that are triggered in specific hosts following different viral infections and explore intricate biological interactions observed in experimental conditions using different host-pathogen groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Fulgencio Queiroz
- Federal University of Minas Gerais, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Juliana Miranda Tatara
- The Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Bruna Barbosa Botelho
- Federal University of Minas Gerais, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Araújo Lima Rodrigues
- Federal University of Minas Gerais, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Magno de Freitas Almeida
- The Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Jonatas Santos Abrahao
- Federal University of Minas Gerais, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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16
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Zhao J, Nair S, Zhang Z, Wang Z, Jiao N, Zhang Y. Macroalgal virosphere assists with host-microbiome equilibrium regulation and affects prokaryotes in surrounding marine environments. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrae083. [PMID: 38709876 PMCID: PMC11126160 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrae083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Revised: 03/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
The microbiomes in macroalgal holobionts play vital roles in regulating macroalgal growth and ocean carbon cycling. However, the virospheres in macroalgal holobionts remain largely underexplored, representing a critical knowledge gap. Here we unveil that the holobiont of kelp (Saccharina japonica) harbors highly specific and unique epiphytic/endophytic viral species, with novelty (99.7% unknown) surpassing even extreme marine habitats (e.g. deep-sea and hadal zones), indicating that macroalgal virospheres, despite being closest to us, are among the least understood. These viruses potentially maintain microbiome equilibrium critical for kelp health via lytic-lysogenic infections and the expression of folate biosynthesis genes. In-situ kelp mesocosm cultivation and metagenomic mining revealed that kelp holobiont profoundly reshaped surrounding seawater and sediment virus-prokaryote pairings through changing surrounding environmental conditions and virus-host migrations. Some kelp epiphytic viruses could even infect sediment autochthonous bacteria after deposition. Moreover, the presence of ample viral auxiliary metabolic genes for kelp polysaccharide (e.g. laminarin) degradation underscores the underappreciated viral metabolic influence on macroalgal carbon cycling. This study provides key insights into understanding the previously overlooked ecological significance of viruses within macroalgal holobionts and the macroalgae-prokaryotes-virus tripartite relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiulong Zhao
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao, Shandong, 266101, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, Qingdao, 266101, China
| | - Shailesh Nair
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao, Shandong, 266101, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, Qingdao, 266101, China
| | - Zenghu Zhang
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao, Shandong, 266101, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, Qingdao, 266101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Zengmeng Wang
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao, Shandong, 266101, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, Qingdao, 266101, China
| | - Nianzhi Jiao
- Institute of Marine Microbes and Ecospheres, State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China
| | - Yongyu Zhang
- Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266101, China
- Shandong Energy Institute, Qingdao, Shandong, 266101, China
- Qingdao New Energy Shandong Laboratory, Qingdao, 266101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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17
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Xiong L, Li Y, Zeng K, Wei Y, Li H, Ji X. Revealing viral diversity in the Napahai plateau wetland based on metagenomics. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 2023; 117:3. [PMID: 38153618 DOI: 10.1007/s10482-023-01912-2] [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: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023]
Abstract
We focused on exploring the diversity of viruses in the Napahai plateau wetland, a unique ecosystem located in Yunnan, China. While viruses in marine environments have been extensively studied for their influence on microbial metabolism and biogeochemical cycles, little is known about their composition and function in plateau wetlands. Metagenomic analysis was employed to investigate the viral diversity and biogeochemical impacts in the Napahai wetland. It revealed that the Caudoviricetes and Malgrandaviricetes class level was the most abundant viral category based on phylogenetic analysis. Additionally, a gene-sharing network highlighted the presence of numerous unexplored viruses and demonstrated their unique characteristics and significant variation within the viral community of the Napahai wetland. Furthermore, the study identified the auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs). AMGs provide phages with additional functions, such as protection against host degradation and involvement in metabolic pathways, such as the pentose phosphate pathway and DNA biosynthesis. The viruses in the Napahai wetland were found to influence carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and amino acid metabolism, indirectly contributing to biogeochemical cycling through these AMGs. Overall, the research sheds light on the diverse and unique viral communities in the Napahai plateau wetland and emphasizes the significant roles of viruses in microbial ecology. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the characteristics and ecological functions of viral communities in plateau wetland ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingling Xiong
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Yanmei Li
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Kun Zeng
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Yunlin Wei
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Haiyan Li
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China.
| | - Xiuling Ji
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, China.
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18
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Talbert PB, Henikoff S, Armache KJ. Giant variations in giant virus genome packaging. Trends Biochem Sci 2023; 48:1071-1082. [PMID: 37777391 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2023.09.003] [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: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
Giant viruses (Nucleocytoviricota) have a largely conserved lifecycle, yet how they cram their large genomes into viral capsids is mostly unknown. The major capsid protein and the packaging ATPase (pATPase) comprise a highly conserved morphogenesis module in giant viruses, yet some giant viruses dispense with an icosahedral capsid, and others encode multiple versions of pATPases, including conjoined ATPase doublets, or encode none. Some giant viruses have acquired DNA-condensing proteins to compact their genomes, including sheath-like structures encasing folded DNA or densely packed viral nucleosomes that show a resemblance to eukaryotic nucleosomes at the telomeres. Here, we review what is known and unknown about these ATPases and condensing proteins, and place these variations in the context of viral lifecycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B Talbert
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
| | - Steven Henikoff
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Karim-Jean Armache
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
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19
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Truchon AR, Chase EE, Gann ER, Moniruzzaman M, Creasey BA, Aylward FO, Xiao C, Gobler CJ, Wilhelm SW. Kratosvirus quantuckense: the history and novelty of an algal bloom disrupting virus and a model for giant virus research. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1284617. [PMID: 38098665 PMCID: PMC10720644 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1284617] [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: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the discovery of the first "giant virus," particular attention has been paid toward isolating and culturing these large DNA viruses through Acanthamoeba spp. bait systems. While this method has allowed for the discovery of plenty novel viruses in the Nucleocytoviricota, environmental -omics-based analyses have shown that there is a wealth of diversity among this phylum, particularly in marine datasets. The prevalence of these viruses in metatranscriptomes points toward their ecological importance in nutrient turnover in our oceans and as such, in depth study into non-amoebal Nucleocytoviricota should be considered a focal point in viral ecology. In this review, we report on Kratosvirus quantuckense (née Aureococcus anophagefferens Virus), an algae-infecting virus of the Imitervirales. Current systems for study in the Nucleocytoviricota differ significantly from this virus and its relatives, and a litany of trade-offs within physiology, coding potential, and ecology compared to these other viruses reveal the importance of K. quantuckense. Herein, we review the research that has been performed on this virus as well as its potential as a model system for algal-virus interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander R Truchon
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Emily E Chase
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Eric R Gann
- The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, MD, United States
- Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Surgical Critical Care Initiative (SC2i), Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Mohammad Moniruzzaman
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, United States
| | - Brooke A Creasey
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Frank O Aylward
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Chuan Xiao
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | | | - Steven W Wilhelm
- Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, United States
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20
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Hikida H, Okazaki Y, Zhang R, Nguyen TT, Ogata H. A rapid genome-wide analysis of isolated giant viruses using MinION sequencing. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:2621-2635. [PMID: 37543720 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16476] [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: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
Following the discovery of Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus, diverse giant viruses have been isolated. However, only a small fraction of these isolates have been completely sequenced, limiting our understanding of the genomic diversity of giant viruses. MinION is a portable and low-cost long-read sequencer that can be readily used in a laboratory. Although MinION provides highly error-prone reads that require correction through additional short-read sequencing, recent studies assembled high-quality microbial genomes only using MinION sequencing. Here, we evaluated the accuracy of MinION-only genome assemblies for giant viruses by re-sequencing a prototype marseillevirus. Assembled genomes presented over 99.98% identity to the reference genome with a few gaps, demonstrating a high accuracy of the MinION-only assembly. As a proof of concept, we de novo assembled five newly isolated viruses. Average nucleotide identities to their closest known relatives suggest that the isolates represent new species of marseillevirus, pithovirus and mimivirus. The assembly of subsampled reads demonstrated that their taxonomy and genomic composition could be analysed at the 50× sequencing coverage. We also identified a pithovirus gene whose homologues were detected only in metagenome-derived relatives. Collectively, we propose that MinION-only assembly is an effective approach to rapidly perform a genome-wide analysis of isolated giant viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Hikida
- Bioinformatics Center, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yusuke Okazaki
- Bioinformatics Center, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ruixuan Zhang
- Bioinformatics Center, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Thi Tuyen Nguyen
- Bioinformatics Center, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Ogata
- Bioinformatics Center, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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21
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Zhao H, Zhang R, Wu J, Meng L, Okazaki Y, Hikida H, Ogata H. A 1.5-Mb continuous endogenous viral region in the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis. Virus Evol 2023; 9:vead064. [PMID: 37953976 PMCID: PMC10640383 DOI: 10.1093/ve/vead064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Most fungal viruses are RNA viruses, and no double-stranded DNA virus that infects fungi is known to date. A recent study detected DNA polymerase genes that originated from large dsDNA viruses in the genomes of basal fungi, suggestive of the existence of dsDNA viruses capable of infecting fungi. In this study, we searched for viral infection signatures in chromosome-level genome assemblies of the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Rhizophagus irregularis. We identified a continuous 1.5-Mb putative viral region on a chromosome in R. irregularis strain 4401. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the viral region is related to viruses in the family Asfarviridae of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota. This viral region was absent in the genomes of four other R. irregularis strains and had fewer signals of fungal transposable elements than the other genomic regions, suggesting a recent and single insertion of a large dsDNA viral genome in the genome of this fungal strain. We also incidentally identified viral-like sequences in the genome assembly of the sea slug Elysia marginata that are evolutionally close to the 1.5-Mb putative viral region. In conclusion, our findings provide strong evidence of the recent infection of the fungus by a dsDNA virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongda Zhao
- Chemical Life Science, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji 611-0011, Japan
| | - Ruixuan Zhang
- Chemical Life Science, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji 611-0011, Japan
| | - Junyi Wu
- Chemical Life Science, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji 611-0011, Japan
| | - Lingjie Meng
- Chemical Life Science, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji 611-0011, Japan
| | - Yusuke Okazaki
- Chemical Life Science, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji 611-0011, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Hikida
- Chemical Life Science, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji 611-0011, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Ogata
- Chemical Life Science, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji 611-0011, Japan
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22
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Moniruzzaman M, Erazo Garcia MP, Farzad R, Ha AD, Jivaji A, Karki S, Sheyn U, Stanton J, Minch B, Stephens D, Hancks DC, Rodrigues RAL, Abrahao JS, Vardi A, Aylward FO. Virologs, viral mimicry, and virocell metabolism: the expanding scale of cellular functions encoded in the complex genomes of giant viruses. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2023; 47:fuad053. [PMID: 37740576 PMCID: PMC10583209 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuad053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The phylum Nucleocytoviricota includes the largest and most complex viruses known. These "giant viruses" have a long evolutionary history that dates back to the early diversification of eukaryotes, and over time they have evolved elaborate strategies for manipulating the physiology of their hosts during infection. One of the most captivating of these mechanisms involves the use of genes acquired from the host-referred to here as viral homologs or "virologs"-as a means of promoting viral propagation. The best-known examples of these are involved in mimicry, in which viral machinery "imitates" immunomodulatory elements in the vertebrate defense system. But recent findings have highlighted a vast and rapidly expanding array of other virologs that include many genes not typically found in viruses, such as those involved in translation, central carbon metabolism, cytoskeletal structure, nutrient transport, vesicular trafficking, and light harvesting. Unraveling the roles of virologs during infection as well as the evolutionary pathways through which complex functional repertoires are acquired by viruses are important frontiers at the forefront of giant virus research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Moniruzzaman
- Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33149, United States
| | - Maria Paula Erazo Garcia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Roxanna Farzad
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Anh D Ha
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Abdeali Jivaji
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Sangita Karki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Uri Sheyn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Joshua Stanton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Benjamin Minch
- Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33149, United States
| | - Danae Stephens
- Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33149, United States
| | - Dustin C Hancks
- Department of Immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Rodrigo A L Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
| | - Jonatas S Abrahao
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
| | - Assaf Vardi
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Frank O Aylward
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Infectious Disease, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
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23
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Gaïa M, Forterre P. From Mimivirus to Mirusvirus: The Quest for Hidden Giants. Viruses 2023; 15:1758. [PMID: 37632100 PMCID: PMC10458455 DOI: 10.3390/v15081758] [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: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Our perception of viruses has been drastically evolving since the inception of the field of virology over a century ago. In particular, the discovery of giant viruses from the Nucleocytoviricota phylum marked a pivotal moment. Their previously concealed diversity and abundance unearthed an unprecedented complexity in the virus world, a complexity that called for new definitions and concepts. These giant viruses underscore the intricate interactions that unfold over time between viruses and their hosts, and are themselves suspected to have played a significant role as a driving force in the evolution of eukaryotes since the dawn of this cellular domain. Whether they possess exceptional relationships with their hosts or whether they unveil the actual depths of evolutionary connections between viruses and cells otherwise hidden in smaller viruses, the attraction giant viruses exert on the scientific community and beyond continues to grow. Yet, they still hold surprises. Indeed, the recent identification of mirusviruses connects giant viruses to herpesviruses, each belonging to distinct viral realms. This discovery substantially broadens the evolutionary landscape of Nucleocytoviricota. Undoubtedly, the years to come will reveal their share of surprises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Gaïa
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ. Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91000 Evry, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara GOSEE, 75012 Paris, France
| | - Patrick Forterre
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule (I2BC), CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Département de Microbiologie, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
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24
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Queiroz VF, Carvalho JVRP, de Souza FG, Lima MT, Santos JD, Rocha KLS, de Oliveira DB, Araújo JP, Ullmann LS, Rodrigues RAL, Abrahão JS. Analysis of the Genomic Features and Evolutionary History of Pithovirus-Like Isolates Reveals Two Major Divergent Groups of Viruses. J Virol 2023; 97:e0041123. [PMID: 37395647 PMCID: PMC10373538 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00411-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
New representatives of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota have been rapidly described in the last decade. Despite this, not all viruses of this phylum are allocated to recognized taxonomic families, as is the case for orpheovirus, pithovirus, and cedratvirus, which form the proposed family Pithoviridae. In this study, we performed comprehensive comparative genomic analyses of 8 pithovirus-like isolates, aiming to understand their common traits and evolutionary history. Structural and functional genome annotation was performed de novo for all the viruses, which served as a reference for pangenome construction. The synteny analysis showed substantial differences in genome organization between these viruses, with very few and short syntenic blocks shared between orpheovirus and its relatives. It was possible to observe an open pangenome with a significant increase in the slope when orpheovirus was added, alongside a decrease in the core genome. Network analysis placed orpheovirus as a distant and major hub with a large fraction of unique clusters of orthologs, indicating a distant relationship between this virus and its relatives, with only a few shared genes. Additionally, phylogenetic analyses of strict core genes shared with other viruses of the phylum reinforced the divergence of orpheovirus from pithoviruses and cedratviruses. Altogether, our results indicate that although pithovirus-like isolates share common features, this group of ovoid-shaped giant viruses presents substantial differences in gene contents, genomic architectures, and the phylogenetic history of several core genes. Our data indicate that orpheovirus is an evolutionarily divergent viral entity, suggesting its allocation to a different viral family, Orpheoviridae. IMPORTANCE Giant viruses that infect amoebae form a monophyletic group named the phylum Nucleocytoviricota. Despite being genomically and morphologically very diverse, the taxonomic categories of some clades that form this phylum are not yet well established. With advances in isolation techniques, the speed at which new giant viruses are described has increased, escalating the need to establish criteria to define the emerging viral taxa. In this work, we performed a comparative genomic analysis of representatives of the putative family Pithoviridae. Based on the dissimilarity of orpheovirus from the other viruses of this putative family, we propose that orpheovirus be considered a member of an independent family, Orpheoviridae, and suggest criteria to demarcate families consisting of ovoid-shaped giant viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victória F. Queiroz
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - João Victor R. P. Carvalho
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fernanda G. de Souza
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Maurício T. Lima
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Juliane D. Santos
- Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Programa de pós graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Kamila L. S. Rocha
- Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Programa de pós graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Danilo B. de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Programa de pós graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - João Pessoa Araújo
- Laboratório de Virologia, Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Leila Sabrina Ullmann
- Laboratório de Virologia, Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratório de Virologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo A. L. Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jônatas S. Abrahão
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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25
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Barreat JGN, Katzourakis A. A billion years arms-race between viruses, virophages, and eukaryotes. eLife 2023; 12:RP86617. [PMID: 37358563 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86617] [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] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Bamfordviruses are arguably the most diverse group of viruses infecting eukaryotes. They include the Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA viruses (NCLDVs), virophages, adenoviruses, Mavericks and Polinton-like viruses. Two main hypotheses for their origins have been proposed: the 'nuclear-escape' and 'virophage-first' hypotheses. The nuclear-escape hypothesis proposes an endogenous, Maverick-like ancestor which escaped from the nucleus and gave rise to adenoviruses and NCLDVs. In contrast, the virophage-first hypothesis proposes that NCLDVs coevolved with protovirophages; Mavericks then evolved from virophages that became endogenous, with adenoviruses escaping from the nucleus at a later stage. Here, we test the predictions made by both models and consider alternative evolutionary scenarios. We use a data set of the four core virion proteins sampled across the diversity of the lineage, together with Bayesian and maximum-likelihood hypothesis-testing methods, and estimate rooted phylogenies. We find strong evidence that adenoviruses and NCLDVs are not sister groups, and that Mavericks and Mavirus acquired the rve-integrase independently. We also found strong support for a monophyletic group of virophages (family Lavidaviridae) and a most likely root placed between virophages and the other lineages. Our observations support alternatives to the nuclear-escape scenario and a billion years evolutionary arms-race between virophages and NCLDVs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aris Katzourakis
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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26
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Moniruzzaman M, Aylward FO. Endogenous DNA viruses take center stage in eukaryotic genome evolution. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2305212120. [PMID: 37186839 PMCID: PMC10214139 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2305212120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Moniruzzaman
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL33149
| | - Frank O. Aylward
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA24061
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Infectious Disease, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA24061
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27
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Hannat S, La Scola B, Andreani J, Aherfi S. Asfarviruses and Closely Related Giant Viruses. Viruses 2023; 15:v15041015. [PMID: 37112995 PMCID: PMC10146109 DOI: 10.3390/v15041015] [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: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus, so called because of its "mimicking microbe", was discovered in 2003 and was the founding member of the first family of giant viruses isolated from amoeba. These giant viruses, present in various environments, have opened up a previously unexplored field of virology. Since 2003, many other giant viruses have been isolated, founding new families and taxonomical groups. These include a new giant virus which was isolated in 2015, the result of the first co-culture on Vermamoeba vermiformis. This new giant virus was named "Faustovirus". Its closest known relative at that time was African Swine Fever Virus. Pacmanvirus and Kaumoebavirus were subsequently discovered, exhibiting phylogenetic clustering with the two previous viruses and forming a new group with a putative common ancestor. In this study, we aimed to summarise the main features of the members of this group of giant viruses, including Abalone Asfarvirus, African Swine Fever Virus, Faustovirus, Pacmanvirus, and Kaumoebavirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sihem Hannat
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, 13005 Marseille, France
- MEPHI, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Aix-Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Bernard La Scola
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, 13005 Marseille, France
- MEPHI, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Aix-Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France
- Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), 13005 Marseille, France
| | - Julien Andreani
- CHU Grenoble Alpes, 27 Boulevard de la Chantourne, 38700 La Tronche, France
| | - Sarah Aherfi
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, 13005 Marseille, France
- MEPHI, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Aix-Marseille Université, 13005 Marseille, France
- Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM), 13005 Marseille, France
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28
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Gaïa M, Meng L, Pelletier E, Forterre P, Vanni C, Fernandez-Guerra A, Jaillon O, Wincker P, Ogata H, Krupovic M, Delmont TO. Mirusviruses link herpesviruses to giant viruses. Nature 2023; 616:783-789. [PMID: 37076623 PMCID: PMC10132985 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05962-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
DNA viruses have a major influence on the ecology and evolution of cellular organisms1-4, but their overall diversity and evolutionary trajectories remain elusive5. Here we carried out a phylogeny-guided genome-resolved metagenomic survey of the sunlit oceans and discovered plankton-infecting relatives of herpesviruses that form a putative new phylum dubbed Mirusviricota. The virion morphogenesis module of this large monophyletic clade is typical of viruses from the realm Duplodnaviria6, with multiple components strongly indicating a common ancestry with animal-infecting Herpesvirales. Yet, a substantial fraction of mirusvirus genes, including hallmark transcription machinery genes missing in herpesviruses, are closely related homologues of giant eukaryotic DNA viruses from another viral realm, Varidnaviria. These remarkable chimaeric attributes connecting Mirusviricota to herpesviruses and giant eukaryotic viruses are supported by more than 100 environmental mirusvirus genomes, including a near-complete contiguous genome of 432 kilobases. Moreover, mirusviruses are among the most abundant and active eukaryotic viruses characterized in the sunlit oceans, encoding a diverse array of functions used during the infection of microbial eukaryotes from pole to pole. The prevalence, functional activity, diversification and atypical chimaeric attributes of mirusviruses point to a lasting role of Mirusviricota in the ecology of marine ecosystems and in the evolution of eukaryotic DNA viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Gaïa
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ. Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara GOSEE, Paris, France
| | - Lingjie Meng
- Bioinformatics Center, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Japan
| | - Eric Pelletier
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ. Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara GOSEE, Paris, France
| | - Patrick Forterre
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule (I2BC), CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif sur Yvette, France
- Département de Microbiologie, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Chiara Vanni
- MARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Antonio Fernandez-Guerra
- Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Olivier Jaillon
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ. Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara GOSEE, Paris, France
| | - Patrick Wincker
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ. Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara GOSEE, Paris, France
| | - Hiroyuki Ogata
- Bioinformatics Center, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Uji, Japan
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR6047, Archaeal Virology Unit, Paris, France
| | - Tom O Delmont
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ. Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, Evry, France.
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara GOSEE, Paris, France.
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29
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Du Q, Peng F, Xiong Q, Xu K, Yang KY, Wang M, Wu Z, Li S, Cheng X, Rao X, Wang Y, Tsui SKW, Zeng X. Genomic Analysis of Amphioxus Reveals a Wide Range of Fragments Homologous to Viral Sequences. Viruses 2023; 15:v15040909. [PMID: 37112889 PMCID: PMC10145014 DOI: 10.3390/v15040909] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Amphioxus species are considered living fossils and are important in the evolutionary study of chordates and vertebrates. To explore viral homologous sequences, a high-quality annotated genome of the Beihai amphioxus (Branchiostoma belcheri beihai) was examined using virus sequence queries. In this study, 347 homologous fragments (HFs) of viruses were identified in the genome of B. belcheri beihai, of which most were observed on 21 genome assembly scaffolds. HFs were preferentially located within protein-coding genes, particularly in their CDS regions and promoters. A range of amphioxus genes with a high frequency of HFs is proposed, including histone-related genes that are homologous to the Histone H4 or Histone H2B domains of viruses. Together, this comprehensive analysis of viral HFs provides insights into the neglected role of viral integration in the evolution of amphioxus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiao Du
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province and 3D Genomics Research Centre, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Fang Peng
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province and 3D Genomics Research Centre, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Qing Xiong
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Hong Kong Bioinformatics Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kejin Xu
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province and 3D Genomics Research Centre, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Kevin Yi Yang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Hong Kong Bioinformatics Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Mingqiang Wang
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Zhitian Wu
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province and 3D Genomics Research Centre, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Shanying Li
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province and 3D Genomics Research Centre, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xiaorui Cheng
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province and 3D Genomics Research Centre, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xinjie Rao
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province and 3D Genomics Research Centre, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yuyouye Wang
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province and 3D Genomics Research Centre, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Stephen Kwok-Wing Tsui
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Hong Kong Bioinformatics Centre, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Xi Zeng
- Agricultural Bioinformatics Key Laboratory of Hubei Province and 3D Genomics Research Centre, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
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30
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Fukaya S, Masuda L, Takemura M. Analysis of Morphological Changes in the Nucleus and Vacuoles of Acanthamoeba castellanii following Giant Virus Infection. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0418222. [PMID: 36943052 PMCID: PMC10100661 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04182-22] [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: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Acanthamoeba castellanii medusavirus is a member of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota, also known as giant viruses, and has a unique strategy of infecting Acanthamoeba castellanii and replicating viral genes in the host nucleus. Here, we show time series changes in the intracellular morphology, including the nucleus, of host cells infected with four types of giant viruses, including medusavirus, using time-lapse phase-contrast microscopy and image analysis. We updated our phase-contrast-based kinetic analysis algorithm for amoebae (PKA3) to use multiple microscopic images with different focus positions to allow a more detailed analysis of their intracellular structures. Image analysis using PKA3 revealed that as medusavirus infection progressed, the host nucleus increased in size and the number of vacuoles decreased. In addition, infected host cells are known to become smaller and rounder at later stages of infection, but here they were found to be larger than uninfected cells at earlier stages. These results suggested that the propagation mechanism of medusavirus includes the formation of empty virus particles in the host cytoplasm, packaging of the viral genome replicated in the host nucleus, and then the release of viral particles. IMPORTANCE In this study, we quantitatively revealed how long the increase in host cell size or the increase in host nucleus size occurs after infection with giant viruses, especially medusavirus. To understand the underlying mechanism, we performed image analysis and determined that the host cell size increased at approximately 6 h postinfection (hpi) and the host nucleus enlarged at approximately 22 hpi, pointing to the importance of biochemical experiments. In addition, we showed that the intracellular structures could be quantitatively analyzed using multiple phase-contrast microscopy images with different focus positions at the same time point. Hence, morphological analyses of intracellular structures using phase-contrast microscopy, which have wide applications in live-cell observations, may be useful in studying various organisms that infect or are symbiotic with A. castellanii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sho Fukaya
- Department of Applied Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Suwa University of Science, Chino, Nagano, Japan
- Laboratory of Biology, Institute of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Lisa Masuda
- Laboratory of Biology, Graduate School of Mathematics and Science Education, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaharu Takemura
- Laboratory of Biology, Institute of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
- Laboratory of Biology, Graduate School of Mathematics and Science Education, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
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Widespread Distribution and Evolution of Poxviral Entry-Fusion Complex Proteins in Giant Viruses. Microbiol Spectr 2023:e0494422. [PMID: 36912656 PMCID: PMC10100723 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04944-22] [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: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Poxviruses are known to encode a set of proteins that form an entry-fusion complex (EFC) to mediate virus entry. However, the diversity, evolution, and origin of these EFC proteins remain poorly understood. Here, we identify the EFC protein homologs in poxviruses and other giant viruses of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota. The 11 EFC genes are present in almost all poxviruses, with the two smallest, G3 and O3, being absent in Entomopoxvirinae and basal lineages of Chordopoxvirinae. Five of the EFC genes are further grouped into two families, A16/G9/J5 and F9/L1, which are widely distributed across other major lineages of Nucleocytoviricota, including metagenome-assembled genomes, but are generally absent in viruses infecting algae or nonamoebozoan heterotrophic protists. The A16/G9/J5 and F9/L1 families cooccur, mostly as single copies, in 93% of the non-Poxviridae giant viruses that have at least one of them. Distribution and phylogenetic patterns suggest that both families originated in the ancestor of Nucleocytoviricota. In addition to the Poxviridae genes, homologs from each of the other Nucleocytoviricota families are largely clustered together, suggesting their ancient presence and vertical inheritance. Despite deep sequence divergences, we observed noticeable conservation of cysteine residues and predicted structures between EFC proteins of Poxviridae and other families. Overall, our study reveals widespread distribution of these EFC protein homologs beyond poxviruses, implies the existence of a conserved membrane fusion mechanism, and sheds light on host range and ancient evolution of Nucleocytoviricota. IMPORTANCE Fusion between virus and host membranes is critical for viruses to release genetic materials and to initiate infection. Whereas most viruses use a single protein for membrane fusion, poxviruses employ a multiprotein entry-fusion complex (EFC). We report that two major families of the EFC proteins are widely distributed within the virus phylum Nucleocytoviricota, which includes poxviruses and other double-stranded (dsDNA) giant viruses that infect animals, amoebozoans, algae, and various microbial eukaryotes. Each of these two protein families is structurally conserved, traces its origin to the root of Nucleocytoviricota, was passed down to the major subclades of Nucleocytoviricota, and is retained in most giant viruses known to infect animals and amoebozoans. The EFC proteins therefore represent a potential mechanism for virus entry in diverse giant viruses. We hypothesize that they may have facilitated the infection of an animal/amoebozoan-like host by the last Nucleocytoviricota common ancestor.
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Stevens KM, Warnecke T. Histone variants in archaea - An undiscovered country. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 135:50-58. [PMID: 35221208 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Exchanging core histones in the nucleosome for paralogous variants can have important functional ramifications. Many of these variants, and their physiological roles, have been characterized in exquisite detail in model eukaryotes, including humans. In comparison, our knowledge of histone biology in archaea remains rudimentary. This is true in particular for our knowledge of histone variants. Many archaea encode several histone genes that differ in sequence, but do these paralogs make distinct, adaptive contributions to genome organization and regulation in a manner comparable to eukaryotes? Below, we review what we know about histone variants in archaea at the level of structure, regulation, and evolution. In all areas, our knowledge pales when compared to the wealth of insight that has been gathered for eukaryotes. Recent findings, however, provide tantalizing glimpses into a rich and largely undiscovered country that is at times familiar and eukaryote-like and at times strange and uniquely archaeal. We sketch a preliminary roadmap for further exploration of this country; an undertaking that may ultimately shed light not only on chromatin biology in archaea but also on the origin of histone-based chromatin in eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn M Stevens
- Medical Research Council London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, United Kingdom; Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tobias Warnecke
- Medical Research Council London Institute of Medical Sciences, London, United Kingdom; Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
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33
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"Mamonoviridae", a proposed new family of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota. Arch Virol 2023; 168:80. [PMID: 36740641 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-022-05633-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Acanthamoeba castellanii medusavirus J1 is a giant virus that was isolated from a hot spring in Japan in 2019. Recently, a close relative of this virus, named medusavirus stheno T3, was isolated in Japan. Here, we describe their morphological, genomic, and gene content similarities and also propose to create a new family, "Mamonoviridae", a new genus, "Medusavirus", and two species, "Medusavirus medusae" and "Medusavirus sthenus", to classify these two viruses within the phylum Nucleocytoviricota.
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A novel capsid protein network allows the characteristic internal membrane structure of Marseilleviridae giant viruses. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21428. [PMID: 36504202 PMCID: PMC9742146 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24651-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Marseilleviridae is a family of giant viruses, showing a characteristic internal membrane with extrusions underneath the icosahedral vertices. However, such large objects, with a maximum diameter of 250 nm are technically difficult to examine at sub-nanometre resolution by cryo-electron microscopy. Here, we tested the utility of 1 MV high-voltage cryo-EM (cryo-HVEM) for single particle structural analysis (SPA) of giant viruses using tokyovirus, a species of Marseilleviridae, and revealed the capsid structure at 7.7 Å resolution. The capsid enclosing the viral DNA consisted primarily of four layers: (1) major capsid proteins (MCPs) and penton proteins, (2) minor capsid proteins (mCPs), (3) scaffold protein components (ScPCs), and (4) internal membrane. The mCPs showed a novel capsid lattice consisting of eight protein components. ScPCs connecting the icosahedral vertices supported the formation of the membrane extrusions, and possibly act like tape measure proteins reported in other giant viruses. The density on top of the MCP trimer was suggested to include glycoproteins. This is the first attempt at cryo-HVEM SPA. We found the primary limitations to be the lack of automated data acquisition and software support for collection and processing and thus achievable resolution. However, the results pave the way for using cryo-HVEM for structural analysis of larger biological specimens.
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Giant Viruses as a Source of Novel Enzymes for Biotechnological Application. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11121453. [PMID: 36558786 PMCID: PMC9787589 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11121453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The global demand for industrial enzymes has been increasing in recent years, and the search for new sources of these biological products is intense, especially in microorganisms. Most known viruses have limited genetic machinery and, thus, have been overlooked by the enzyme industry for years. However, a peculiar group of viruses breaks this paradigm. Giant viruses of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota infect protists (i.e., algae and amoebae) and have complex genomes, reaching up to 2.7 Mb in length and encoding hundreds of genes. Different giant viruses have robust metabolic machinery, especially those in the Phycodnaviridae and Mimiviridae families. In this review, we present some peculiarities of giant viruses that infect protists and discuss why they should be seen as an outstanding source of new enzymes. We revisited the genomes of representatives of different groups of giant viruses and put together information about their enzymatic machinery, highlighting several genes to be explored in biotechnology involved in carbohydrate metabolism, DNA replication, and RNA processing, among others. Finally, we present additional evidence based on structural biology using chitinase as a model to reinforce the role of giant viruses as a source of novel enzymes for biotechnological application.
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36
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Farzad R, Ha AD, Aylward FO. Diversity and genomics of giant viruses in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:1021923. [PMID: 36504832 PMCID: PMC9732441 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.1021923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Large double-stranded DNA viruses of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota, often referred to as "giant viruses," are ubiquitous members of marine ecosystems that are important agents of mortality for eukaryotic plankton. Although giant viruses are known to be prevalent in marine systems, their activities in oligotrophic ocean waters remain unclear. Oligotrophic gyres constitute the majority of the ocean and assessing viral activities in these regions is therefore critical for understanding overall marine microbial processes. In this study, we generated 11 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of giant viruses from samples previously collected from Station ALOHA in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that they belong to the orders Imitervirales (n = 6), Algavirales (n = 4), and Pimascovirales (n = 1). Genome sizes ranged from ~119-574 kbp, and several of the genomes encoded predicted TCA cycle components, cytoskeletal proteins, collagen, rhodopsins, and proteins potentially involved in other cellular processes. Comparison with other marine metagenomes revealed that several have broad distribution across ocean basins and represent abundant viral constituents of pelagic surface waters. Our work sheds light on the diversity of giant viruses present in oligotrophic ocean waters across the globe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxanna Farzad
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Anh D. Ha
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Frank O. Aylward
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States,Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Infectious Disease, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States,*Correspondence: Frank O. Aylward,
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37
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Shao Q, Agarkova IV, Noel EA, Dunigan DD, Liu Y, Wang A, Guo M, Xie L, Zhao X, Rossmann MG, Van Etten JL, Klose T, Fang Q. Near-atomic, non-icosahedrally averaged structure of giant virus Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6476. [PMID: 36309542 PMCID: PMC9617893 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34218-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Giant viruses are a large group of viruses that infect many eukaryotes. Although components that do not obey the overall icosahedral symmetry of their capsids have been observed and found to play critical roles in the viral life cycles, identities and high-resolution structures of these components remain unknown. Here, by determining a near-atomic-resolution, five-fold averaged structure of Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1, we unexpectedly found the viral capsid possesses up to five major capsid protein variants and a penton protein variant. These variants create varied capsid microenvironments for the associations of fibers, a vesicle, and previously unresolved minor capsid proteins. Our structure reveals the identities and atomic models of the capsid components that do not obey the overall icosahedral symmetry and leads to a model for how these components are assembled and initiate capsid assembly, and this model might be applicable to many other giant viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianqian Shao
- Scholl of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China
| | - Irina V Agarkova
- Department of Plant Pathology and Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68583-0900, USA
| | - Eric A Noel
- Department of Plant Pathology and Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68583-0900, USA
| | - David D Dunigan
- Department of Plant Pathology and Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68583-0900, USA
| | - Yunshu Liu
- Scholl of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China
| | - Aohan Wang
- Scholl of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China
| | - Mingcheng Guo
- Scholl of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China
| | - Linlin Xie
- Scholl of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China
| | - Xinyue Zhao
- Scholl of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China
| | - Michael G Rossmann
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - James L Van Etten
- Department of Plant Pathology and Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68583-0900, USA.
| | - Thomas Klose
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
| | - Qianglin Fang
- Scholl of Public Health (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518107, China.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
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38
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Speciale I, Notaro A, Abergel C, Lanzetta R, Lowary TL, Molinaro A, Tonetti M, Van Etten JL, De Castro C. The Astounding World of Glycans from Giant Viruses. Chem Rev 2022; 122:15717-15766. [PMID: 35820164 PMCID: PMC9614988 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Viruses are a heterogeneous ensemble of entities, all sharing the need for a suitable host to replicate. They are extremely diverse, varying in morphology, size, nature, and complexity of their genomic content. Typically, viruses use host-encoded glycosyltransferases and glycosidases to add and remove sugar residues from their glycoproteins. Thus, the structure of the glycans on the viral proteins have, to date, typically been considered to mimick those of the host. However, the more recently discovered large and giant viruses differ from this paradigm. At least some of these viruses code for an (almost) autonomous glycosylation pathway. These viral genes include those that encode the production of activated sugars, glycosyltransferases, and other enzymes able to manipulate sugars at various levels. This review focuses on large and giant viruses that produce carbohydrate-processing enzymes. A brief description of those harboring these features at the genomic level will be discussed, followed by the achievements reached with regard to the elucidation of the glycan structures, the activity of the proteins able to manipulate sugars, and the organic synthesis of some of these virus-encoded glycans. During this progression, we will also comment on many of the challenging questions on this subject that remain to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Immacolata Speciale
- Department
of Agricultural Sciences, University of
Napoli, Via Università
100, 80055 Portici, Italy
| | - Anna Notaro
- Department
of Agricultural Sciences, University of
Napoli, Via Università
100, 80055 Portici, Italy
- Centre
National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Génomique
& Structurale, Aix-Marseille University, Unité Mixte de Recherche
7256, IMM, IM2B, 13288 Marseille, Cedex 9, France
| | - Chantal Abergel
- Centre
National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Génomique
& Structurale, Aix-Marseille University, Unité Mixte de Recherche
7256, IMM, IM2B, 13288 Marseille, Cedex 9, France
| | - Rosa Lanzetta
- Department
of Chemical Sciences, University of Napoli, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Todd L. Lowary
- Institute
of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Academia Road, Section 2, Nangang 11529, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Antonio Molinaro
- Department
of Chemical Sciences, University of Napoli, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Michela Tonetti
- Department
of Experimental Medicine and Center of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - James L. Van Etten
- Nebraska
Center for Virology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0900, United States
- Department
of Plant Pathology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0722, United States
| | - Cristina De Castro
- Department
of Agricultural Sciences, University of
Napoli, Via Università
100, 80055 Portici, Italy
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Guglielmini J, Gaia M, Da Cunha V, Criscuolo A, Krupovic M, Forterre P. Viral origin of eukaryotic type IIA DNA topoisomerases. Virus Evol 2022; 8:veac097. [PMID: 36533149 PMCID: PMC9752973 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veac097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 08/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Type II DNA topoisomerases of the family A (Topo IIAs) are present in all Bacteria (DNA gyrase) and eukaryotes. In eukaryotes, they play a major role in transcription, DNA replication, chromosome segregation, and modulation of chromosome architecture. The origin of eukaryotic Topo IIA remains mysterious since they are very divergent from their bacterial homologs and have no orthologs in Archaea. Interestingly, eukaryotic Topo IIAs have close homologs in viruses of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota, an expansive assemblage of large and giant viruses formerly known as the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses. Topo IIAs are also encoded by some bacterioviruses of the class Caudoviricetes (tailed bacteriophages). To elucidate the origin of the eukaryotic Topo IIA, we performed in-depth phylogenetic analyses on a dataset combining viral and cellular Topo IIA homologs. Topo IIAs encoded by Bacteria and eukaryotes form two monophyletic groups nested within Topo IIA encoded by Caudoviricetes and Nucleocytoviricota, respectively. Importantly, Nucleocytoviricota remained well separated from eukaryotes after removing both Bacteria and Caudoviricetes from the data set, indicating that the separation of Nucleocytoviricota and eukaryotes is probably not due to long-branch attraction artifact. The topologies of our trees suggest that the eukaryotic Topo IIA was probably acquired from an ancestral member of the Nucleocytoviricota of the class Megaviricetes, before the emergence of the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA). This result further highlights a key role of these viruses in eukaryogenesis and suggests that early proto-eukaryotes used a Topo IIB instead of a Topo IIA for solving their DNA topological problems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Morgan Gaia
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, 91000 Evry, France
| | - Violette Da Cunha
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Alexis Criscuolo
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Hub, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 6047, Archaeal Virology Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Patrick Forterre
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR 6047, Archaeal Virology Unit, 75015 Paris, France
- Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Hub, F-75015 Paris, France
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40
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Aylward FO, Moniruzzaman M. Viral Complexity. Biomolecules 2022; 12:1061. [PMID: 36008955 PMCID: PMC9405923 DOI: 10.3390/biom12081061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although traditionally viewed as streamlined and simple, discoveries over the last century have revealed that viruses can exhibit surprisingly complex physical structures, genomic organization, ecological interactions, and evolutionary histories. Viruses can have physical dimensions and genome lengths that exceed many cellular lineages, and their infection strategies can involve a remarkable level of physiological remodeling of their host cells. Virus-virus communication and widespread forms of hyperparasitism have been shown to be common in the virosphere, demonstrating that dynamic ecological interactions often shape their success. And the evolutionary histories of viruses are often fraught with complexities, with chimeric genomes including genes derived from numerous distinct sources or evolved de novo. Here we will discuss many aspects of this viral complexity, with particular emphasis on large DNA viruses, and provide an outlook for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank O. Aylward
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Mohammad Moniruzzaman
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33149, USA;
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Schulz F, Abergel C, Woyke T. Giant virus biology and diversity in the era of genome-resolved metagenomics. Nat Rev Microbiol 2022; 20:721-736. [PMID: 35902763 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-022-00754-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of giant viruses, with capsids as large as some bacteria, megabase-range genomes and a variety of traits typically found only in cellular organisms, was one of the most remarkable breakthroughs in biology. Until recently, most of our knowledge of giant viruses came from ~100 species-level isolates for which genome sequences were available. However, these isolates were primarily derived from laboratory-based co-cultivation with few cultured protists and algae and, thus, did not reflect the true diversity of giant viruses. Although virus co-cultures enabled valuable insights into giant virus biology, many questions regarding their origin, evolution and ecological importance remain unanswered. With advances in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics, our understanding of giant viruses has drastically expanded. In this Review, we summarize our understanding of giant virus diversity and biology based on viral isolates as laboratory cultivation has enabled extensive insights into viral morphology and infection strategies. We then explore how cultivation-independent approaches have heightened our understanding of the coding potential and diversity of the Nucleocytoviricota. We discuss how metagenomics has revolutionized our perspective of giant viruses by revealing their distribution across our planet's biomes, where they impact the biology and ecology of a wide range of eukaryotic hosts and ultimately affect global nutrient cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederik Schulz
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Chantal Abergel
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, IGS UMR7256, IMM FR3479, IM2B, IO, Marseille, France
| | - Tanja Woyke
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA. .,University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA.
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42
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Khalifeh D, Neveu E, Fasshauer D. Megaviruses contain various genes encoding for eukaryotic vesicle trafficking factors. Traffic 2022; 23:414-425. [PMID: 35701729 PMCID: PMC9546365 DOI: 10.1111/tra.12860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Many intracellular pathogens, such as bacteria and large viruses, enter eukaryotic cells via phagocytosis, then replicate and proliferate inside the host. To avoid degradation in the phagosomes, they have developed strategies to modify vesicle trafficking. Although several strategies of bacteria have been characterized, it is not clear whether viruses also interfere with the vesicle trafficking of the host. Recently, we came across SNARE proteins encoded in the genomes of several bacteria of the order Legionellales. These pathogenic bacteria may use SNAREs to interfere with vesicle trafficking, since SNARE proteins are the core machinery for vesicle fusion during transport. They assemble into membrane-bridging SNARE complexes that bring membranes together. We now have also discovered SNARE proteins in the genomes of diverse giant viruses. Our biochemical experiments showed that these proteins are able to form SNARE complexes. We also found other key trafficking factors that work together with SNAREs such as NSF, SM, and Rab proteins encoded in the genomes of giant viruses, suggesting that viruses can make use of a large genetic repertoire of trafficking factors. Most giant viruses possess different collections, suggesting that these factors entered the viral genome multiple times. In the future, the molecular role of these factors during viral infection need to be studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dany Khalifeh
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Emilie Neveu
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dirk Fasshauer
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Queiroz VF, Rodrigues RAL, Boratto PVDM, La Scola B, Andreani J, Abrahão JS. Amoebae: Hiding in Plain Sight: Unappreciated Hosts for the Very Large Viruses. Annu Rev Virol 2022; 9:79-98. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-virology-100520-125832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
For decades, viruses have been isolated primarily from humans and other organisms. Interestingly, one of the most complex sides of the virosphere was discovered using free-living amoebae as hosts. The discovery of giant viruses in the early twenty-first century opened a new chapter in the field of virology. Giant viruses are included in the phylum Nucleocytoviricota and harbor large and complex DNA genomes (up to 2.7 Mb) encoding genes never before seen in the virosphere and presenting gigantic particles (up to 1.5 μm). Different amoebae have been used to isolate and characterize a plethora of new viruses with exciting details about novel viral biology. Through distinct isolation techniques and metagenomics, the diversity and complexity of giant viruses have astonished the scientific community. Here, we discuss the latest findings on amoeba viruses and how using these single-celled organisms as hosts has revealed entities that have remained hidden in plain sight for ages. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Virology, Volume 9 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victória Fulgêncio Queiroz
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Araújo Lima Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | - Bernard La Scola
- Department of Microbes, Evolution, Phylogeny and Infection, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Julien Andreani
- Department of Microbes, Evolution, Phylogeny and Infection, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Laboratoire de Virologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Grenoble-Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Jônatas Santos Abrahão
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Spang A, Mahendrarajah TA, Offre P, Stairs CW. Evolving Perspective on the Origin and Diversification of Cellular Life and the Virosphere. Genome Biol Evol 2022; 14:evac034. [PMID: 35218347 PMCID: PMC9169541 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evac034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The tree of life (TOL) is a powerful framework to depict the evolutionary history of cellular organisms through time, from our microbial origins to the diversification of multicellular eukaryotes that shape the visible biosphere today. During the past decades, our perception of the TOL has fundamentally changed, in part, due to profound methodological advances, which allowed a more objective approach to studying organismal and viral diversity and led to the discovery of major new branches in the TOL as well as viral lineages. Phylogenetic and comparative genomics analyses of these data have, among others, revolutionized our understanding of the deep roots and diversity of microbial life, the origin of the eukaryotic cell, eukaryotic diversity, as well as the origin, and diversification of viruses. In this review, we provide an overview of some of the recent discoveries on the evolutionary history of cellular organisms and their viruses and discuss a variety of complementary techniques that we consider crucial for making further progress in our understanding of the TOL and its interconnection with the virosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anja Spang
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, Den Burg, The Netherlands
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Tara A Mahendrarajah
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | - Pierre Offre
- Department of Marine Microbiology and Biogeochemistry, NIOZ, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Utrecht University, Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | - Courtney W Stairs
- Department of Biology, Microbiology research group, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Xia Y, Cheng H, Zhong J. Hybrid Sequencing Resolved Inverted Terminal Repeats in the Genome of Megavirus Baoshan. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:831659. [PMID: 35620092 PMCID: PMC9127612 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.831659] [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: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mimivirus is a group of amoeba-infecting DNA viruses with linear double-strand genome. It is found to be ubiquitous in nature worldwide. Here, we reported the complete genome of a new member of Mimivirus lineage C isolated from a fresh water pond in Shanghai, China. Its 1,224,839-bp genome encoded 1,062 predicted ORFs. Combining the results of Nanopore, Illumina, and Sanger sequencing technologies, two identical 23,919 bp inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) were identified at both extremities of the viral linear genome, one of which was missing in the draft assembly based on Illumina data only. The discovery of ITRs of Mimivirus provided a new insight into Mimivirus genome structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yucheng Xia
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huanyu Cheng
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiang Zhong
- Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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Talbert PB, Armache KJ, Henikoff S. Viral histones: pickpocket's prize or primordial progenitor? Epigenetics Chromatin 2022; 15:21. [PMID: 35624484 PMCID: PMC9145170 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-022-00454-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The common histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 are the characteristic components of eukaryotic nucleosomes, which function to wrap DNA and compact the genome as well as to regulate access to DNA for transcription and replication in all eukaryotes. In the past two decades, histones have also been found to be encoded in some DNA viruses, where their functions and properties are largely unknown, though recently histones from two related viruses have been shown to form nucleosome-like structures in vitro. Viral histones can be highly similar to eukaryotic histones in primary sequence, suggesting they have been recently picked up from eukaryotic hosts, or they can be radically divergent in primary sequence and may occur as conjoined histone doublets, triplets, or quadruplets, suggesting ancient origins prior to the divergence of modern eukaryotes. Here, we review what is known of viral histones and discuss their possible origins and functions. We consider how the viral life cycle may affect their properties and histories, and reflect on the possible roles of viruses in the origin of the nucleus of modern eukaryotic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B Talbert
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Karim-Jean Armache
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 550 First Ave, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Steven Henikoff
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA.
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Machado TB, de Aquino ILM, Abrahão JS. Isolation of Giant Viruses of Acanthamoeba castellanii. Curr Protoc 2022; 2:e455. [PMID: 35612516 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
This article describes a practical method for prospecting and isolating giant viruses based on direct inoculation of environmental samples into amoeba cultures of Acanthamoeba castellanii. The giant viruses that infect amoebas have already been isolated from various environmental samples in several countries worldwide, including in extreme environments. Here we describe the methodologic procedures regarding the prospecting of giant viruses in A. castellanii, including the preparation of environmental samples, the culture of amoebas, and the observation of cytopathic effects that can indicate the presence and potential isolation of giant viruses. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Sample collection Support Protocol: Propagation of Acanthamoeba castellanii Basic Protocol 2: Prospecting of giant viruses in environmental samples by cytopathic effect analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talita Bastos Machado
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Laboratório de Vírus, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Isabella Luiza Martins de Aquino
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Laboratório de Vírus, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jônatas Santos Abrahão
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Laboratório de Vírus, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Geballa-Koukoulas K, La Scola B, Blanc G, Andreani J. Diversity of Giant Viruses Infecting Vermamoeba vermiformis. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:808499. [PMID: 35602053 PMCID: PMC9116030 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.808499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus in 2003 using the free-living amoeba Acanthamoeba polyphaga caused a paradigm shift in the virology field. Twelve years later, using another amoeba as a host, i.e., Vermamoeba vermiformis, novel isolates of giant viruses have been discovered. This amoeba–virus relationship led scientists to study the evolution of giant viruses and explore the origins of eukaryotes. The purpose of this article is to review all the giant viruses that have been isolated from Vermamoeba vermiformis, compare their genomic features, and report the influence of these viruses on the cell cycle of their amoebal host. To date, viruses putatively belonging to eight different viral taxa have been described: 7 are lytic and 1 is non-lytic. The comparison of giant viruses infecting Vermamoeba vermiformis has suggested three homogenous groups according to their size, the replication time inside the host cell, and the number of encoding tRNAs. This approach is an attempt at determining the evolutionary origins and trajectories of the virus; therefore, more giant viruses infecting Vermamoeba must be discovered and studied to create a comprehensive knowledge on these intriguing biological entities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khalil Geballa-Koukoulas
- MEPHI, APHM, IRD 198, Aix Marseille University, IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Aix Marseille Université, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, Marseille, France
- *Correspondence: Khalil Geballa-Koukoulas,
| | - Bernard La Scola
- MEPHI, APHM, IRD 198, Aix Marseille University, IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Guillaume Blanc
- Aix Marseille Université, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO UM 110, Marseille, France
| | - Julien Andreani
- MEPHI, APHM, IRD 198, Aix Marseille University, IHU-Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Julien Andreani,
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Watanabe R, Song C, Kayama Y, Takemura M, Murata K. Particle Morphology of Medusavirus Inside and Outside the Cells Reveals a New Maturation Process of Giant Viruses. J Virol 2022; 96:e0185321. [PMID: 35297671 PMCID: PMC9006890 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01853-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Medusavirus, a giant virus, is phylogenetically closer to eukaryotes than the other giant viruses and has been recently classified as an independent species. However, details of its morphology and maturation process in host cells remain unclear. Here, we investigated the particle morphology of medusavirus inside and outside infected cells using conventional transmission electron microscopy (C-TEM) and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The C-TEM of amoebae infected with the medusavirus showed four types of particles, i.e., pseudo-DNA-empty (p-Empty), DNA-empty (Empty), semi-DNA-full (s-Full), and DNA-full (Full). Time-dependent changes in the four types of particles and their intracellular localization suggested a new maturation process for the medusavirus. Viral capsids and viral DNAs are produced independently in the cytoplasm and nucleus, respectively, and only the empty particles located near the host nucleus can incorporate the viral DNA into the capsid. Therefore, all four types of particles were found outside the cells. The cryo-EM of these particles showed that the intact virus structure, covered with three different types of spikes, was preserved among all particle types, although with minor size-related differences. The internal membrane exhibited a structural array similar to that of the capsid, interacted closely with the capsid, and displayed open membrane structures in the Empty and p-Empty particles. The results suggest that these open structures in the internal membrane are used for an exchange of scaffold proteins and viral DNA during the maturation process. This new model of the maturation process of medusavirus provides insight into the structural and behavioral diversity of giant viruses. IMPORTANCE Giant viruses exhibit diverse morphologies and maturation processes. In this study, medusavirus showed four types of particle morphologies, both inside and outside the infected cells, when propagated in amoeba culture. Time-course analysis and intracellular localization of the medusavirus in the infected cells suggested a new maturation process via the four types of particles. Like the previously reported pandoravirus, the viral DNA of medusavirus is replicated in the host's nucleus. However, viral capsids are produced independently in the host cytoplasm, and only empty capsids near the nucleus can take up viral DNA. As a result, many immature particles were released from the host cell along with the mature particles. The capsid structure is well conserved among the four types of particles, except for the open membrane structures in the empty particles, suggesting that they are used to exchange scaffold proteins for viral DNAs. These findings indicate that medusavirus has a unique maturation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryoto Watanabe
- School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
| | - Chihong Song
- School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yoko Kayama
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Terabase, Inc., Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
| | - Masaharu Takemura
- Institute of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Murata
- School of Life Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- National Institute for Physiological Sciences, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
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A Comparative Genomic Approach to Determine the Virulence Factors and Horizontal Gene Transfer Events of Clinical Acanthamoeba Isolates. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0002522. [PMID: 35416714 PMCID: PMC9045148 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00025-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Acanthamoeba species are among the most ubiquitous protists that are widespread in soil and water and act as both a replicative niche and vectors for dispersal. They are the most important human intracellular pathogens, causing Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) and severely damaging the human cornea. The sympatric lifestyle within the host and amoeba-resisting microorganisms (ARMs) promotes horizontal gene transfer (HGT). However, the genomic diversity of only A. castellanii and A. polyphaga has been widely studied, and the pathogenic mechanisms remain unknown. Thus, we examined 7 clinically pathogenic strains by comparative genomic, phylogenetic, and rhizome gene mosaicism analyses to explore amoeba-symbiont interactions that possibly contribute to pathogenesis. Genetic characterization and phylogenetic analysis showed differences in functional characteristics between the "open" state of T3 and T4 isolates, which may contribute to the differences in virulence and pathogenicity. Through comparative genomic analysis, we identified potential genes related to virulence, such as metalloprotease, laminin-binding protein, and HSP, that were specific to the genus Acanthamoeba. Then, analysis of putative sequence trafficking between Acanthamoeba and Pandoraviruses or Acanthamoeba castellanii medusaviruses provided the best hits with viral genes; among bacteria, Pseudomonas had the most significant numbers. The most parsimonious evolutionary scenarios were between Acanthamoeba and endosymbionts; nevertheless, in most cases, the scenarios are more complex. In addition, the differences in exchanged genes were limited to the same family. In brief, this study provided extensive data to suggest the existence of HGT between Acanthamoeba and ARMs, explaining the occurrence of diseases and challenging Darwin's concept of eukaryotic evolution. IMPORTANCE Acanthamoeba has the ability to cause serious blinding keratitis. Although the prevalence of this phenomenon has increased in recent years, our knowledge of the underlying opportunistic pathogenic mechanism maybe remains incomplete. In this study, we highlighted the importance of Pseudomonas in the pathogenesis pathway using comprehensive a whole genomics approach of clinical isolates. The horizontal gene transfer events help to explain how endosymbionts contribute Acanthamoeba to act as an opportunistic pathogen. Our study opens up several potential avenues for future research on the differences in pathogenicity and interactions among clinical strains.
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