1
|
Wholey WY, Meyer AR, Yoda ST, Mueller JL, Mathenge R, Chackerian B, Zikherman J, Cheng W. An Integrated Signaling Threshold Initiates IgG Response toward Virus-like Immunogens. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2024; 213:1061-1075. [PMID: 39212443 PMCID: PMC11458362 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2400101] [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: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Class-switched neutralizing Ab (nAb) production is rapidly induced upon many viral infections. However, due to the presence of multiple components in virions, the precise biochemical and biophysical signals from viral infections that initiate nAb responses remain inadequately defined. Using a reductionist system of synthetic virus-like structures, in this study, we show that a foreign protein on a virion-sized liposome can serve as a stand-alone danger signal to initiate class-switched nAb responses without T cell help or TLR but requires CD19. Introduction of internal nucleic acids (iNAs) obviates the need for CD19, lowers the epitope density (ED) required to elicit the Ab response, and transforms these structures into highly potent immunogens that rival conventional virus-like particles in their ability to elicit strong Ag-specific IgG. As early as day 5 after immunization, structures harboring iNAs and decorated with just a few molecules of surface Ag at doses as low as 100 ng induced all IgG subclasses of Ab in mice and reproduced the IgG2a/2c restriction that is long observed in live viral infections. These findings reveal a shared mechanism for the nAb response in mice. High ED is capable but not necessary for driving Ab secretion. Instead, even a few molecules of surface Ag, when combined with nucleic acids within these structures, can trigger strong IgG production. As a result, the signaling threshold for induction of IgG in individual B cells is set by dual signals originating from both ED on the surface and the presence of iNAs within viral particulate immunogens.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Yun Wholey
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 428 Church Street, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Alexander R. Meyer
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 428 Church Street, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Sekou-Tidiane Yoda
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 428 Church Street, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - James L. Mueller
- Division of Rheumatology, Rosalind Russell and Ephraim P. Engleman Rheumatology Research Center, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143 USA
| | - Raisa Mathenge
- Division of Rheumatology, Rosalind Russell and Ephraim P. Engleman Rheumatology Research Center, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143 USA
| | - Bryce Chackerian
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA
| | - Julie Zikherman
- Division of Rheumatology, Rosalind Russell and Ephraim P. Engleman Rheumatology Research Center, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143 USA
| | - Wei Cheng
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 428 Church Street, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, 1150 W. Medical Center Dr., University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Koonin EV, Fischer MG, Kuhn JH, Krupovic M. The polinton-like supergroup of viruses: evolution, molecular biology, and taxonomy. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2024; 88:e0008623. [PMID: 39023254 PMCID: PMC11426020 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00086-23] [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] [Indexed: 07/20/2024] Open
Abstract
SUMMARYPolintons are 15-20 kb-long self-synthesizing transposons that are widespread in eukaryotic, and in particular protist, genomes. Apart from a transposase and a protein-primed DNA polymerase, polintons encode homologs of major and minor jelly-roll capsid proteins, DNA-packaging ATPases, and proteases involved in capsid maturation of diverse eukaryotic viruses of kingdom Bamfordvirae. Given the conservation of these structural and morphogenetic proteins among polintons, these elements are predicted to alternate between transposon and viral lifestyles and, although virions have thus far not been detected, are classified as viruses (class Polintoviricetes) in the phylum Preplasmiviricota. Related to polintoviricetes are vertebrate adenovirids; unclassified polinton-like viruses (PLVs) identified in various environments or integrated into diverse protist genomes; virophages (Maveriviricetes), which are part of tripartite hyperparasitic systems including protist hosts and giant viruses; and capsid-less derivatives, such as cytoplasmic linear DNA plasmids of fungi and transpovirons. Phylogenomic analysis indicates that the polinton-like supergroup of viruses bridges bacterial tectivirids (preplasmiviricot class Tectiliviricetes) to the phylum Nucleocytoviricota that includes large and giant eukaryotic DNA viruses. Comparative structural analysis of proteins encoded by polinton-like viruses led to the discovery of previously undetected functional domains, such as terminal proteins and distinct proteases implicated in DNA polymerase processing, and clarified the evolutionary relationships within Polintoviricetes. Here, we leverage these insights into the evolution of the polinton-like supergroup to develop an amended megataxonomy that groups Polintoviricetes, PLVs (new class 'Aquintoviricetes'), and virophages (renamed class 'Virophaviricetes') together with Adenoviridae (new class 'Pharingeaviricetes') in a preplasmiviricot subphylum 'Polisuviricotina' sister to a subphylum including Tectiliviricetes ('Prepoliviricotina').
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Matthias G Fischer
- Department of Biomolecular Mechanisms, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jens H Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Archaeal Virology Unit, Paris, France
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Kuhn JH, Brown K, Adkins S, de la Torre JC, Digiaro M, Ergünay K, Firth AE, Hughes HR, Junglen S, Lambert AJ, Maes P, Marklewitz M, Palacios G, Sasaya T, Shi M, Zhang YZ, Wolf YI, Turina M. Promotion of order Bunyavirales to class Bunyaviricetes to accommodate a rapidly increasing number of related polyploviricotine viruses. J Virol 2024:e0106924. [PMID: 39303014 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01069-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Prior to 2017, the family Bunyaviridae included five genera of arthropod and rodent viruses with tri-segmented negative-sense RNA genomes related to the Bunyamwera virus. In 2017, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) promoted the family to order Bunyavirales and subsequently greatly expanded its composition by adding multiple families for non-segmented to polysegmented viruses of animals, fungi, plants, and protists. The continued and accelerated discovery of bunyavirals highlighted that an order would not suffice to depict the evolutionary relationships of these viruses. Thus, in April 2024, the order was promoted to class Bunyaviricetes. This class currently includes two major orders, Elliovirales (Cruliviridae, Fimoviridae, Hantaviridae, Peribunyaviridae, Phasmaviridae, Tospoviridae, and Tulasviridae) and Hareavirales (Arenaviridae, Discoviridae, Konkoviridae, Leishbuviridae, Mypoviridae, Nairoviridae, Phenuiviridae, and Wupedeviridae), for hundreds of viruses, many of which are pathogenic for humans and other animals, plants, and fungi.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jens H Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Katherine Brown
- Division of Virology, Department of Pathology, Addenbrookes Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Scott Adkins
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, US Horticultural Research Laboratory, Fort Pierce, Florida, USA
| | - Juan Carlos de la Torre
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology IMM-6, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Michele Digiaro
- CIHEAM, Istituto Agronomico Mediterraneo di Bari, Valenzano, Italy
| | - Koray Ergünay
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Virology Unit, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
- Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit, Smithsonian Institution, Museum Support Center, Suitland, Maryland, USA
- One Health Branch, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
- Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution-National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Andrew E Firth
- Division of Virology, Department of Pathology, Addenbrookes Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Holly R Hughes
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Sandra Junglen
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Amy J Lambert
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Piet Maes
- KU Leuven, Rega Institute, Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Unit, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Gustavo Palacios
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Takahide Sasaya
- Strategic Planning Headquarters, National Agriculture and Food Research Organization, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Mang Shi
- Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yong-Zhen Zhang
- School of Life Sciences and Human Phenome Institute, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuri I Wolf
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Massimo Turina
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection, National Research Council of Italy, Torino, Italy
- Department of Plant Protection, School of Agriculture, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kuhn JH, Botella L, de la Peña M, Vainio EJ, Krupovic M, Lee BD, Navarro B, Sabanadzovic S, Simmonds P, Turina M. Ambiviricota, a novel ribovirian phylum for viruses with viroid-like properties. J Virol 2024; 98:e0083124. [PMID: 38856119 PMCID: PMC11265453 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00831-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Fungi harbor a vast diversity of mobile genetic elements (MGEs). Recently, novel fungal MGEs, tentatively referred to as 'ambiviruses,' were described. 'Ambiviruses' have single-stranded RNA genomes of about 4-5 kb in length that contain at least two open reading frames (ORFs) in non-overlapping ambisense orientation. Both ORFs are conserved among all currently known 'ambiviruses,' and one of them encodes a distinct viral RNA-directed RNA polymerase (RdRP), the hallmark gene of ribovirian kingdom Orthornavirae. However, 'ambivirus' genomes are circular and predicted to replicate via a rolling-circle mechanism. Their genomes are also predicted to form rod-like structures and contain ribozymes in various combinations in both sense and antisense orientations-features reminiscent of viroids, virusoids, ribozyvirian kolmiovirids, and yet-unclassified MGEs (such as 'epsilonviruses,' 'zetaviruses,' and some 'obelisks'). As a first step toward the formal classification of 'ambiviruses,' the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) recently approved the establishment of a novel ribovirian phylum, Ambiviricota, to accommodate an initial set of 20 members with well-annotated genome sequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jens H. Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Leticia Botella
- Department of Forest Protection and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Marcos de la Peña
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia-CSIC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Eeva J. Vainio
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Archaeal Virology Unit, Paris, France
| | - Benjamin D. Lee
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | - Sead Sabanadzovic
- Department of Agricultural Science and Plant Protection, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
- Institute for Genomics, Biocomputing and Biotechnology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, USA
| | - Peter Simmonds
- Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Massimo Turina
- Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection-CNR, Torino, Italy
- Department of Plant Protection, School of Agriculture, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Zhang L, Li Y, Kuhn JH, Zhang K, Song Q, Liu F. Polyubiquitylated rice stripe virus NS3 translocates to the nucleus to promote cytosolic virus replication via miRNA-induced fibrillin 2 upregulation. PLoS Pathog 2024; 20:e1012112. [PMID: 38507423 PMCID: PMC10984529 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012112] [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: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Viruses are encapsidated mobile genetic elements that rely on host cells for replication. Several cytoplasmic RNA viruses synthesize proteins and/or RNAs that translocate to infected cell nuclei. However, the underlying mechanisms and role(s) of cytoplasmic-nuclear trafficking are unclear. We demonstrate that infection of small brown planthoppers with rice stripe virus (RSV), a negarnaviricot RNA virus, results in K63-linked polyubiquitylation of RSV's nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) at residue K127 by the RING ubiquitin ligase (E3) LsRING. In turn, ubiquitylation leads to NS3 trafficking from the cytoplasm to the nucleus, where NS3 regulates primary miRNA pri-miR-92 processing through manipulation of the microprocessor complex, resulting in accumulation of upregulated miRNA lst-miR-92. We show that lst-miR-92 regulates the expression of fibrillin 2, an extracellular matrix protein, thereby increasing RSV loads. Our results highlight the manipulation of intranuclear, cytoplasmic, and extracellular components by an RNA virus to promote its own replication in an insect vector.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lu Zhang
- College of Plant Protection; Yángzhōu University; Yángzhōu, Jiāngsū Province; China
| | - Yao Li
- College of Plant Protection; Yángzhōu University; Yángzhōu, Jiāngsū Province; China
| | - Jens H. Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick; National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick; Frederick, Maryland; United States of America
| | - Kun Zhang
- College of Plant Protection; Yángzhōu University; Yángzhōu, Jiāngsū Province; China
| | - Qisheng Song
- Division of Plant Science and Technology; College of Agriculture; Food and Natural Resources; University of Missouri; Columbia, Missouri; United States of America
| | - Fang Liu
- College of Plant Protection; Yángzhōu University; Yángzhōu, Jiāngsū Province; China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wholey WY, Meyer AR, Yoda ST, Mueller JL, Mathenge R, Chackerian B, Zikherman J, Cheng W. An integrated signaling threshold initiates IgG response towards virus-like immunogens. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.28.577643. [PMID: 38469153 PMCID: PMC10926662 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.28.577643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Class-switched neutralizing antibody (nAb) production is rapidly induced upon many viral infections. However, due to the presence of multiple components in typical virions, the precise biochemical and biophysical signals from viral infections that initiate nAb responses remain inadequately defined. Using a reductionist system of synthetic virus-like structures (SVLS) containing minimal, highly purified biochemical components commonly found in enveloped viruses, here we show that a foreign protein on a virion-sized liposome can serve as a stand-alone danger signal to initiate class-switched nAb responses in the absence of cognate T cell help or Toll-like receptor signaling but requires CD19, the antigen (Ag) coreceptor on B cells. Introduction of internal nucleic acids (iNAs) obviates the need for CD19, lowers the epitope density (ED) required to elicit the Ab response and transforms these structures into highly potent immunogens that rival conventional virus-like particles in their ability to elicit strong Ag-specific IgG. As early as day 5 after immunization, structures harbouring iNAs and decorated with just a few molecules of surface Ag at doses as low as 100 ng induced all IgG subclasses of Ab known in mice and reproduced the IgG2a/2c restriction that has been long observed in live viral infections. These findings reveal a shared mechanism for nAb response upon viral infection. High ED is capable but not necessary for driving Ab secretion in vivo . Instead, even a few molecules of surface Ag, when combined with nucleic acids within these structures, can trigger strong antiviral IgG production. As a result, the signaling threshold for the induction of neutralizing IgG is set by dual signals originating from both ED on the surface and the presence of iNAs within viral particulate immunogens. One-sentence summary Reconstitution of minimal viral signals necessary to initiate antiviral IgG.
Collapse
|
7
|
Urayama SI, Zhao YJ, Kuroki M, Chiba Y, Ninomiya A, Hagiwara D. Greetings from virologists to mycologists: A review outlining viruses that live in fungi. MYCOSCIENCE 2024; 65:1-11. [PMID: 39239117 PMCID: PMC11371549 DOI: 10.47371/mycosci.2023.11.004] [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: 08/29/2023] [Revised: 11/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2024]
Abstract
Viruses are genetic elements that parasitize self-replicating cells. Therefore, organisms parasitized by viruses are not limited to animals and plants but also include microorganisms. Among these, viruses that parasitize fungi are known as mycoviruses. Mycoviruses with an RNA genome persistently replicate inside fungal cells and coevolve with their host cells, similar to a cellular organelle. Within host cells, mycoviruses can modulate various fungal characteristics and activities, including pathogenicity and the production of enzymes and secondary metabolites. In this review, we provide an overview of the mycovirus research field as introduction to fungal researchers. Recognition of all genetic elements in fungi aids towards better understanding and control of fungi, and makes fungi a significant model system for studying microorganisms containing multiple genetic elements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Syun-Ichi Urayama
- a Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Laboratory of Fungal Interaction and Molecular Biology (donated by IFO), University of Tsukuba
- b Microbiology Research Center for Sustainability (MiCS), University of Tsukuba
| | - Yan-Jie Zhao
- a Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Laboratory of Fungal Interaction and Molecular Biology (donated by IFO), University of Tsukuba
| | - Misa Kuroki
- c Department of Biotechnology, Laboratory of Brewing Microbiology (donated by Kikkoman), The University of Tokyo
| | - Yuto Chiba
- d School of Agriculture, Meiji University
| | - Akihiro Ninomiya
- e Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Laboratory of Aquatic Natural Products Chemistry, The University of Tokyo
| | - Daisuke Hagiwara
- a Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Laboratory of Fungal Interaction and Molecular Biology (donated by IFO), University of Tsukuba
- b Microbiology Research Center for Sustainability (MiCS), University of Tsukuba
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Zheludev IN, Edgar RC, Lopez-Galiano MJ, de la Peña M, Babaian A, Bhatt AS, Fire AZ. Viroid-like colonists of human microbiomes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.20.576352. [PMID: 38293115 PMCID: PMC10827157 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.20.576352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Here, we describe the "Obelisks," a previously unrecognised class of viroid-like elements that we first identified in human gut metatranscriptomic data. "Obelisks" share several properties: (i) apparently circular RNA ~1kb genome assemblies, (ii) predicted rod-like secondary structures encompassing the entire genome, and (iii) open reading frames coding for a novel protein superfamily, which we call the "Oblins". We find that Obelisks form their own distinct phylogenetic group with no detectable sequence or structural similarity to known biological agents. Further, Obelisks are prevalent in tested human microbiome metatranscriptomes with representatives detected in ~7% of analysed stool metatranscriptomes (29/440) and in ~50% of analysed oral metatranscriptomes (17/32). Obelisk compositions appear to differ between the anatomic sites and are capable of persisting in individuals, with continued presence over >300 days observed in one case. Large scale searches identified 29,959 Obelisks (clustered at 90% nucleotide identity), with examples from all seven continents and in diverse ecological niches. From this search, a subset of Obelisks are identified to code for Obelisk-specific variants of the hammerhead type-III self-cleaving ribozyme. Lastly, we identified one case of a bacterial species (Streptococcus sanguinis) in which a subset of defined laboratory strains harboured a specific Obelisk RNA population. As such, Obelisks comprise a class of diverse RNAs that have colonised, and gone unnoticed in, human, and global microbiomes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ivan N Zheludev
- Stanford University, Department of Biochemistry, Stanford, CA, USA
| | | | - Maria Jose Lopez-Galiano
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia-CSIC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Marcos de la Peña
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas, Universidad Politécnica de Valencia-CSIC, Valencia, Spain
| | - Artem Babaian
- University of Toronto, Department of Molecular Genetics, Ontario, Canada
- University of Toronto, Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research, Ontario, Canada
| | - Ami S Bhatt
- Stanford University, Department of Genetics, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford University, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Andrew Z Fire
- Stanford University, Department of Genetics, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford University, Department of Pathology, Stanford, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Duan C, Liu Y, Liu Y, Liu L, Cai M, Zhang R, Zeng Q, Koonin EV, Krupovic M, Li M. Diversity of Bathyarchaeia viruses in metagenomes and virus-encoded CRISPR system components. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycad011. [PMID: 38328448 PMCID: PMC10848311 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycad011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Bathyarchaeia represent a class of archaea common and abundant in sedimentary ecosystems. Here we report 56 metagenome-assembled genomes of Bathyarchaeia viruses identified in metagenomes from different environments. Gene sharing network and phylogenomic analyses led to the proposal of four virus families, including viruses of the realms Duplodnaviria and Adnaviria, and archaea-specific spindle-shaped viruses. Genomic analyses uncovered diverse CRISPR elements in these viruses. Viruses of the proposed family "Fuxiviridae" harbor an atypical Type IV-B CRISPR-Cas system and a Cas4 protein that might interfere with host immunity. Viruses of the family "Chiyouviridae" encode a Cas2-like endonuclease and two mini-CRISPR arrays, one with a repeat identical to that in the host CRISPR array, potentially allowing the virus to recruit the host CRISPR adaptation machinery to acquire spacers that could contribute to competition with other mobile genetic elements or to inhibit host defenses. These findings present an outline of the Bathyarchaeia virome and offer a glimpse into their counter-defense mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Changhai Duan
- SZU-HKUST Joint PhD Program in Marine Environmental Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Archaeal Virology Unit, Paris 75015, France
| | - Lirui Liu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Mingwei Cai
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| | - Qinglu Zeng
- Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Archaeal Virology Unit, Paris 75015, France
| | - Meng Li
- SZU-HKUST Joint PhD Program in Marine Environmental Science, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Zhou Y, Wang Y, Prangishvili D, Krupovic M. Exploring the Archaeal Virosphere by Metagenomics. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2732:1-22. [PMID: 38060114 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3515-5_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/08/2023]
Abstract
During the past decade, environmental research has demonstrated that archaea are abundant and widespread in nature and play important ecological roles at a global scale. Currently, however, the majority of archaeal lineages cannot be cultivated under laboratory conditions and are known exclusively or nearly exclusively through metagenomics. A similar trend extends to the archaeal virosphere, where isolated representatives are available for a handful of model archaeal virus-host systems. Viral metagenomics provides an alternative way to circumvent the limitations of culture-based virus discovery and offers insight into the diversity, distribution, and environmental impact of uncultured archaeal viruses. Presently, metagenomics approaches have been successfully applied to explore the viromes associated with various lineages of extremophilic and mesophilic archaea, including Asgard archaea (Asgardarchaeota), ANME-1 archaea (Methanophagales), thaumarchaea (Nitrososphaeria), altiarchaea (Altiarchaeota), and marine group II archaea (Poseidoniales). Here, we provide an overview of methods widely used in archaeal virus metagenomics, covering metavirome preparation, genome annotation, phylogenetic and phylogenomic analyses, and archaeal host assignment. We hope that this summary will contribute to further exploration and characterization of the enigmatic archaeal virome lurking in diverse environments.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yifan Zhou
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Archaeal Virology Unit, Paris, France
- Sorbonne Université, Collège Doctoral, Paris, France
| | - Yongjie Wang
- College of Food Science and Technology, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, China
- Laboratory for Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, China
- Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment for Aquatic Products on Storage and Preservation (Shanghai), Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai, China
| | - David Prangishvili
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Archaeal Virology Unit, Paris, France
- Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Archaeal Virology Unit, Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Lücking D, Alarcón-Schumacher T, Erdmann S. Distribution and Implications of Haloarchaeal Plasmids Disseminated in Self-Encoded Plasmid Vesicles. Microorganisms 2023; 12:5. [PMID: 38276173 PMCID: PMC10818511 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12010005] [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: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Even though viruses and plasmids are both drivers of horizontal gene transfer, they differ fundamentally in their mode of transfer. Virus genomes are enclosed in virus capsids and are not dependent on cell-to-cell contacts for their dissemination. In contrast, the transfer of plasmids most often requires physical contact between cells. However, plasmid pR1SE of Halorubrum lacusprofundi is disseminated between cells, independent of cell-cell contacts, in specialized membrane vesicles that contain plasmid proteins. In this study, we searched for pR1SE-like elements in public databases and a metagenomics dataset from Australian salt lakes and identified 40 additional pR1SE-like elements in hypersaline environments worldwide. Herein, these elements are named apHPVs (archaeal plasmids of haloarchaea potentially transferred in plasmid vesicles). They share two sets of closely related proteins with conserved synteny, strongly indicating an organization into different functional clusters. We find that apHPVs, besides transferring themselves, have the potential to transfer large fragments of DNA between host cells, including virus defense systems. Most interestingly, apHPVs likely play an important role in the evolution of viruses and plasmids in haloarchaea, as they appear to recombine with both of them. This further supports the idea that plasmids and viruses are not distinct but closely related mobile genetic elements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Susanne Erdmann
- Max-Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Bejerman N, Dietzgen R, Debat H. Novel Tri-Segmented Rhabdoviruses: A Data Mining Expedition Unveils the Cryptic Diversity of Cytorhabdoviruses. Viruses 2023; 15:2402. [PMID: 38140643 PMCID: PMC10747219 DOI: 10.3390/v15122402] [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: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytorhabdoviruses (genus Cytorhabdovirus, family Rhabdoviridae) are plant-infecting viruses with enveloped, bacilliform virions. Established members of the genus Cytorhabdovirus have unsegmented single-stranded negative-sense RNA genomes (ca. 10-16 kb) which encode four to ten proteins. Here, by exploring large publicly available metatranscriptomics datasets, we report the identification and genomic characterization of 93 novel viruses with genetic and evolutionary cues of cytorhabdoviruses. Strikingly, five unprecedented viruses with tri-segmented genomes were also identified. This finding represents the first tri-segmented viruses in the family Rhabdoviridae, and they should be classified in a novel genus within this family for which we suggest the name "Trirhavirus". Interestingly, the nucleocapsid and polymerase were the only typical rhabdoviral proteins encoded by those tri-segmented viruses, whereas in three of them, a protein similar to the emaravirus (family Fimoviridae) silencing suppressor was found, while the other predicted proteins had no matches in any sequence databases. Genetic distance and evolutionary insights suggest that all these novel viruses may represent members of novel species. Phylogenetic analyses, of both novel and previously classified plant rhabdoviruses, provide compelling support for the division of the genus Cytorhabdovirus into three distinct genera. This proposed reclassification not only enhances our understanding of the evolutionary dynamics within this group of plant rhabdoviruses but also illuminates the remarkable genomic diversity they encompass. This study not only represents a significant expansion of the genomics of cytorhabdoviruses that will enable future research on the evolutionary peculiarity of this genus but also shows the plasticity in the rhabdovirus genome organization with the discovery of tri-segmented members with a unique evolutionary trajectory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Bejerman
- Instituto de Patología Vegetal—Centro de Investigaciones Agropecuarias—Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (IPAVE—CIAP—INTA), Camino 60 Cuadras Km 5,5, Córdoba X5020ICA, Argentina
- Unidad de Fitopatología y Modelización Agrícola, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Camino 60 Cuadras Km 5,5, Córdoba X5020ICA, Argentina
| | - Ralf Dietzgen
- Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Humberto Debat
- Instituto de Patología Vegetal—Centro de Investigaciones Agropecuarias—Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (IPAVE—CIAP—INTA), Camino 60 Cuadras Km 5,5, Córdoba X5020ICA, Argentina
- Unidad de Fitopatología y Modelización Agrícola, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Camino 60 Cuadras Km 5,5, Córdoba X5020ICA, Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Koonin EV, Krupovic M. New faces of prokaryotic mobile genetic elements: guide RNAs link transposition with host defense mechanisms. CURRENT OPINION IN SYSTEMS BIOLOGY 2023; 36:100473. [PMID: 37779558 PMCID: PMC10538440 DOI: 10.1016/j.coisb.2023.100473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Most life forms harbor multiple, diverse mobile genetic elements (MGE) that widely differ in their rates and mechanisms of mobility. Recent findings on two classes of MGE in prokaryotes revealed a novel mechanism, RNA-guided transposition, where a transposon-encoded guide RNA directs the transposase to a unique site in the host genome. Tn7-like transposons, on multiple occasions, recruited CRISPR systems that lost the capacity to cleave target DNA and instead mediate RNA-guided transposition via CRISPR RNA. Conversely, the abundant transposon-associated, RNA-guided nucleases IscB and TnpB that appear to promote proliferation of IS200/IS605 and IS607 transposons were the likely evolutionary ancestors of type II and type V CRISPR systems, respectively. Thus, RNA-guided target recognition is a major biological phenomenon that connects MGE with host defense mechanisms. More RNA-guided defensive and MGE-associated functionalities are likely to be discovered.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR6047, Archaeal Virology Unit, 25 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
deCarvalho T, Mascolo E, Caruso SM, López-Pérez J, Weston-Hafer K, Shaffer C, Erill I. Simultaneous entry as an adaptation to virulence in a novel satellite-helper system infecting Streptomyces species. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023; 17:2381-2388. [PMID: 37907733 PMCID: PMC10690885 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01548-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Satellites are mobile genetic elements that are dependent upon the replication machinery of their helper viruses. Bacteriophages have provided many examples of satellite nucleic acids that utilize their helper morphogenic genes for propagation. Here we describe two novel satellite-helper phage systems, Mulch and Flayer, that infect Streptomyces species. The satellites in these systems encode for encapsidation machinery but have an absence of key replication genes, thus providing the first example of bacteriophage satellite viruses. We also show that codon usage of the satellites matches the tRNA gene content of the helpers. The satellite in one of these systems, Flayer, does not appear to integrate into the host genome, which represents the first example of a virulent satellite phage. The Flayer satellite has a unique tail adaptation that allows it to attach to its helper for simultaneous co-infection. These findings demonstrate an ever-increasing array of satellite strategies for genetic dependence on their helpers in the evolutionary arms race between satellite and helper phages.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tagide deCarvalho
- Keith R. Porter Imaging Facility, College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elia Mascolo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Steven M Caruso
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Júlia López-Pérez
- Departament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain
| | | | - Christopher Shaffer
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Ivan Erill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Departament d'Enginyeria de la Informació i de les Comunicacions, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Fonseca PLC, Gaur RK, Aguiar ERGR. Editorial: Using virus specific-signatures during infection to characterize host-pathogen interactions. Front Genet 2023; 14:1290714. [PMID: 37811151 PMCID: PMC10556736 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1290714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Paula Luize Camargos Fonseca
- Genetics Department, Biological Sciences Institute, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Rajarshi Kumar Gaur
- Department of Biotechnology, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | | |
Collapse
|
16
|
Scholthof KBG. The Past Is Present: Coevolution of Viruses and Host Resistance Within Geographic Centers of Plant Diversity. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2023; 61:119-136. [PMID: 37253696 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-021621-113819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the coevolutionary history of plants, pathogens, and disease resistance is vital for plant pathology. Here, I review Francis O. Holmes's work with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) framed by the foundational work of Nikolai Vavilov on the geographic centers of origin of plants and crop wild relatives (CWRs) and T. Harper Goodspeed's taxonomy of the genus Nicotiana. Holmes developed a hypothesis that the origin of host resistance to viruses was due to coevolution of both at a geographic center. In the 1950s, Holmes proved that genetic resistance to TMV, especially dominant R-genes, was centered in South America for Nicotiana and other solanaceous plants, including Capsicum, potato, and tomato. One seeming exception was eggplant (Solanum melongena). Not until the acceptance of plate tectonics in the 1960s and recent advances in evolutionary taxonomy did it become evident that northeast Africa was the home of eggplant CWRs, far from Holmes's geographic center for TMV-R-gene coevolution. Unbeknownst to most plant pathologists, Holmes's ideas predated those of H.H. Flor, including experimental proof of the gene-for-gene interaction, identification of R-genes, and deployment of dominant host genes to protect crop plants from virus-associated yield losses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Karen-Beth G Scholthof
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Duan C, Liu Y, Liu Y, Liu L, Cai M, Zhang R, Zeng Q, Koonin EV, Krupovic M, Li M. Diversity of Bathyarchaeia viruses in metagenomes and virus-encoded CRISPR system components. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.24.554615. [PMID: 37781628 PMCID: PMC10541130 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.24.554615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Bathyarchaeia represent a class of archaea common and abundant in sedimentary ecosystems. The virome of Bathyarchaeia so far has not been characterized. Here we report 56 metagenome-assembled genomes of Bathyarchaeia viruses identified in metagenomes from different environments. Gene sharing network and phylogenomic analyses led to the proposal of four virus families, including viruses of the realms Duplodnaviria and Adnaviria, and archaea-specific spindle-shaped viruses. Genomic analyses uncovered diverse CRISPR elements in these viruses. Viruses of the proposed family 'Fuxiviridae' harbor an atypical type IV-B CRISPR-Cas system and a Cas4 protein that might interfere with host immunity. Viruses of the family 'Chiyouviridae' encode a Cas2-like endonuclease and two mini-CRISPR arrays, one with a repeat identical to that in the host CRISPR array, potentially allowing the virus to recruit the host CRISPR adaptation machinery to acquire spacers that could contribute to competition with other mobile genetic elements or to inhibition of host defenses. These findings present an outline of the Bathyarchaeia virome and offer a glimpse into their counter-defense mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Changhai Duan
- SZU-HKUST Joint PhD Program in Marine Environmental Science, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
- Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yang Liu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR6047, Archaeal Virology Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Lirui Liu
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
| | - Mingwei Cai
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
| | - Qinglu Zeng
- Department of Ocean Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Hong Kong, China
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR6047, Archaeal Virology Unit, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Meng Li
- SZU-HKUST Joint PhD Program in Marine Environmental Science, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
- Archaeal Biology Center, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Microbiome Engineering, Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, 518060 Shenzhen, China
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Caetano-Anollés G, Claverie JM, Nasir A. A critical analysis of the current state of virus taxonomy. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1240993. [PMID: 37601376 PMCID: PMC10435761 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1240993] [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: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Taxonomical classification has preceded evolutionary understanding. For that reason, taxonomy has become a battleground fueled by knowledge gaps, technical limitations, and a priorism. Here we assess the current state of the challenging field, focusing on fallacies that are common in viral classification. We emphasize that viruses are crucial contributors to the genomic and functional makeup of holobionts, organismal communities that behave as units of biological organization. Consequently, viruses cannot be considered taxonomic units because they challenge crucial concepts of organismality and individuality. Instead, they should be considered processes that integrate virions and their hosts into life cycles. Viruses harbor phylogenetic signatures of genetic transfer that compromise monophyly and the validity of deep taxonomic ranks. A focus on building phylogenetic networks using alignment-free methodologies and molecular structure can help mitigate the impasse, at least in part. Finally, structural phylogenomic analysis challenges the polyphyletic scenario of multiple viral origins adopted by virus taxonomy, defeating a polyphyletic origin and supporting instead an ancient cellular origin of viruses. We therefore, prompt abandoning deep ranks and urgently reevaluating the validity of taxonomic units and principles of virus classification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences and C.R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Jean-Michel Claverie
- Structural and Genomic Information Laboratory (UMR7256), Mediterranean Institute of Microbiology (FR3479), IM2B, IOM, Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Gebhard LJ, Vershinin Z, Alarcón-Schumacher T, Eichler J, Erdmann S. Influence of N-Glycosylation on Virus-Host Interactions in Halorubrum lacusprofundi. Viruses 2023; 15:1469. [PMID: 37515157 PMCID: PMC10384203 DOI: 10.3390/v15071469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
N-glycosylation is a post-translational modification of proteins that occurs across all three domains of life. In Archaea, N-glycosylation is crucial for cell stability and motility, but importantly also has significant implications for virus-host interactions. While some archaeal viruses present glycosylated proteins or interact with glycosylated host proteins, the direct influence of N-glycosylation on archaeal virus-host interactions remains to be elucidated. In this study, we generated an N-glycosylation-deficient mutant of Halorubrum lacusprofundi, a halophilic archaeon commonly used to study cold adaptation, and examined the impact of compromised N-glycosylation on the infection dynamics of two very diverse viruses. While compromised N-glycosylation had no influence on the life cycle of the head-tailed virus HRTV-DL1, we observed a significant effect on membrane-containing virus HFPV-1. Both intracellular genome numbers and extracellular virus particle numbers of HFPV-1 were increased in the mutant strain, which we attribute to instability of the surface-layer which builds the protein envelope of the cell. When testing the impact of compromised N-glycosylation on the life cycle of plasmid vesicles, specialized membrane vesicles that transfer a plasmid between host cells, we determined that plasmid vesicle stability is strongly dependent on the host glycosylation machinery. Our study thus provides important insight into the role of N-glycosylation in virus-host interactions in Archaea, while pointing to how this influence strongly differs amongst various viruses and virus-like elements.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L Johanna Gebhard
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Archaeal Virology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Zlata Vershinin
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva 84105, Israel
| | | | - Jerry Eichler
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva 84105, Israel
| | - Susanne Erdmann
- Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Archaeal Virology, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Aris Katzourakis
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
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
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
McFadden WM, Sarafianos SG. Targeting the HIV-1 and HBV Capsids, an EnCore. Viruses 2023; 15:896. [PMID: 37112877 PMCID: PMC10146275 DOI: 10.3390/v15040896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Not many structures are common among all viruses: only nucleic acid and a protein coat [...].
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William M. McFadden
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Stefan G. Sarafianos
- Center for ViroScience and Cure, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
- Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Debat H, Garcia ML, Bejerman N. Expanding the Repertoire of the Plant-Infecting Ophioviruses through Metatranscriptomics Data. Viruses 2023; 15:v15040840. [PMID: 37112821 PMCID: PMC10144540 DOI: 10.3390/v15040840] [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: 01/27/2023] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Ophioviruses (genus Ophiovirus, family Aspiviridae) are plant-infecting viruses with non-enveloped, filamentous, naked nucleocapsid virions. Members of the genus Ophiovirus have a segmented single-stranded negative-sense RNA genome (ca. 11.3–12.5 kb), encompassing three or four linear segments. In total, these segments encode four to seven proteins in the sense and antisense orientation, both in the viral and complementary strands. The genus Ophiovirus includes seven species with viruses infecting both monocots and dicots, mostly trees, shrubs and some ornamentals. From a genomic perspective, as of today, there are complete genomes available for only four species. Here, by exploring large publicly available metatranscriptomics datasets, we report the identification and molecular characterization of 33 novel viruses with genetic and evolutionary cues of ophioviruses. Genetic distance and evolutionary insights suggest that all the detected viruses could correspond to members of novel species, which expand the current diversity of ophioviruses ca. 4.5-fold. The detected viruses increase the tentative host range of ophioviruses for the first time to mosses, liverwort and ferns. In addition, the viruses were linked to several Asteraceae, Orchidaceae and Poaceae crops/ornamental plants. Phylogenetic analyses showed a novel clade of mosses, liverworts and fern ophioviruses, characterized by long branches, suggesting that there is still plenty of unsampled hidden diversity within the genus. This study represents a significant expansion of the genomics of ophioviruses, opening the door to future works on the molecular and evolutionary peculiarity of this virus genus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Humberto Debat
- Instituto de Patología Vegetal, Centro de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (IPAVE-CIAP-INTA), Camino 60 Cuadras Km 5,5, Córdoba X5020ICA, Argentina
- Unidad de Fitopatología y Modelización Agrícola, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Camino 60 Cuadras Km 5,5, Córdoba X5020ICA, Argentina
- Correspondence: (H.D.); (N.B.)
| | - Maria Laura Garcia
- Instituto de Biotecnología y Biología Molecular (IBBM-CONICET-UNLP), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Calle 50 y 115, La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Nicolas Bejerman
- Instituto de Patología Vegetal, Centro de Investigaciones Agropecuarias, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (IPAVE-CIAP-INTA), Camino 60 Cuadras Km 5,5, Córdoba X5020ICA, Argentina
- Unidad de Fitopatología y Modelización Agrícola, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Camino 60 Cuadras Km 5,5, Córdoba X5020ICA, Argentina
- Correspondence: (H.D.); (N.B.)
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Kuhn JH, Bradfute SB, Calisher CH, Klempa B, Klingström J, Laenen L, Palacios G, Schmaljohn CS, Tischler ND, Maes P. Pending Reorganization of Hantaviridae to Include Only Completely Sequenced Viruses: A Call to Action. Viruses 2023; 15:660. [PMID: 36992369 PMCID: PMC10059669 DOI: 10.3390/v15030660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The official classification of newly discovered or long-known unassigned viruses by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) requires the deposition of coding-complete or -near-complete virus genome sequences in GenBank to fulfill a requirement of the taxonomic proposal (TaxoProp) process. However, this requirement is fairly new; thus, genomic sequence information is fragmented or absent for many already-classified viruses. As a result, taxon-wide modern phylogenetic analyses are often challenging, if not impossible. This problem is particularly eminent among viruses with segmented genomes, such as bunyavirals, which were frequently classified solely based on single-segment sequence information. To solve this issue for one bunyaviral family, Hantaviridae, we call on the community to provide additional sequence information for incompletely sequenced classified viruses by mid-June 2023. Such sequence information may be sufficient to prevent their possible declassification during the ongoing efforts to establish a coherent, consistent, and evolution-based hantavirid taxonomy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jens H. Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Steven B. Bradfute
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | | | - Boris Klempa
- Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 84505 Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jonas Klingström
- Division of Molecular Medicine and Virology, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Lies Laenen
- Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Unit, KU Leuven, Rega Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- Belgium Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gustavo Palacios
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Global Health Emerging Pathogen Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Connie S. Schmaljohn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Nicole D. Tischler
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Centro Ciencia & Vida, Fundación Ciencia & Vida, Santiago 8581151, Chile
- Facultad de Medicina y Ciencia, Universidad San Sebastián, Santiago 7510157, Chile
| | - Piet Maes
- Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Unit, KU Leuven, Rega Institute, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Abstract
Our understanding of the key players in evolution and of the development of all organisms in all domains of life has been aided by current knowledge about RNA stem-loop groups, their proposed interaction motifs in an early RNA world and their regulative roles in all steps and substeps of nearly all cellular processes, such as replication, transcription, translation, repair, immunity and epigenetic marking. Cooperative evolution was enabled by promiscuous interactions between single-stranded regions in the loops of naturally forming stem-loop structures in RNAs. It was also shown that cooperative RNA stem-loops outcompete selfish ones and provide foundational self-constructive groups (ribosome, editosome, spliceosome, etc.). Self-empowerment from abiotic matter to biological behavior does not just occur at the beginning of biological evolution; it is also essential for all levels of socially interacting RNAs, cells and viruses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Luis Villarreal
- Center for Virus Research, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Guenther Witzany
- Telos - Philosophische Praxis, Buermoos, Salzburg, 5111, Austria
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Kuhn JH, Koonin EV. Viriforms-A New Category of Classifiable Virus-Derived Genetic Elements. Biomolecules 2023; 13:289. [PMID: 36830658 PMCID: PMC9953437 DOI: 10.3390/biom13020289] [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: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) recently accepted viriforms as a new polyphyletic category of classifiable virus-derived genetic elements, juxtaposed to the polyphyletic virus, viroid, and satellite nucleic acid categories. Viriforms are endogenized former viruses that have been exapted by their cellular hosts to fulfill functions important for the host's life cycle. While morphologically resembling virions, particles made by viriforms do not package the viriform genomes but instead transport host genetic material. Known viriforms are highly diverse: members of family Polydnaviriformidae (former Polydnaviridae) have thus far been found exclusively in the genomes of braconid and ichneumonid parasitoid wasps, whereas the completely unrelated gene transfer agents (GTAs) are widely distributed among prokaryotes. In addition, recent discoveries likely extend viriforms to mammalian genomes. Here, we briefly outline the properties of these viriform groups and the first accepted and proposed ICTV frameworks for viriform classification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jens H. Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Eugene V. Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Junk mail: Viral envelopes promote zoonoses. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2219962120. [PMID: 36623201 PMCID: PMC9933117 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2219962120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
|
28
|
Camargo AP, Nayfach S, Chen IMA, Palaniappan K, Ratner A, Chu K, Ritter S, Reddy TBK, Mukherjee S, Schulz F, Call L, Neches R, Woyke T, Ivanova N, Eloe-Fadrosh E, Kyrpides N, Roux S. IMG/VR v4: an expanded database of uncultivated virus genomes within a framework of extensive functional, taxonomic, and ecological metadata. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:D733-D743. [PMID: 36399502 PMCID: PMC9825611 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 92.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Viruses are widely recognized as critical members of all microbiomes. Metagenomics enables large-scale exploration of the global virosphere, progressively revealing the extensive genomic diversity of viruses on Earth and highlighting the myriad of ways by which viruses impact biological processes. IMG/VR provides access to the largest collection of viral sequences obtained from (meta)genomes, along with functional annotation and rich metadata. A web interface enables users to efficiently browse and search viruses based on genome features and/or sequence similarity. Here, we present the fourth version of IMG/VR, composed of >15 million virus genomes and genome fragments, a ≈6-fold increase in size compared to the previous version. These clustered into 8.7 million viral operational taxonomic units, including 231 408 with at least one high-quality representative. Viral sequences in IMG/VR are now systematically identified from genomes, metagenomes, and metatranscriptomes using a new detection approach (geNomad), and IMG standard annotation are complemented with genome quality estimation using CheckV, taxonomic classification reflecting the latest taxonomic standards, and microbial host taxonomy prediction. IMG/VR v4 is available at https://img.jgi.doe.gov/vr, and the underlying data are available to download at https://genome.jgi.doe.gov/portal/IMG_VR.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Pedro Camargo
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Stephen Nayfach
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - I-Min A Chen
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | | | - Anna Ratner
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Ken Chu
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Stephan J Ritter
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - T B K Reddy
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Supratim Mukherjee
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Frederik Schulz
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Lee Call
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Russell Y Neches
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Tanja Woyke
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Natalia N Ivanova
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Emiley A Eloe-Fadrosh
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Nikos C Kyrpides
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Simon Roux
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Forterre P, Gaïa M. [Viruses and the evolution of modern eukaryotic cells]. Med Sci (Paris) 2022; 38:990-998. [PMID: 36692278 DOI: 10.1051/medsci/2022164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
It is now well accepted that viruses have played an important role in the evolution of modern eukaryotes. In this review, we suggest that interactions between ancient eukaryoviruses and proto-eukaryotes also played a major role in eukaryogenesis. We discuss phylogenetic analyses that highlight the viral origin of several key proteins in the molecular biology of eukaryotes. We also discuss recent observations that, by analogy, could suggest a viral origin of the cellular nucleus. Finally, we hypothesize that mechanisms of cell differentiation in multicellular organisms might have originated from mechanisms implemented by viruses to transform infected cells into virocells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Forterre
- Département de microbiologie, Institut Pasteur, 25 rue du Docteur Roux, 75015 Paris, France - Institut de biologie intégrative de la cellule (I2BC), Département de microbiologie, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Morgan Gaïa
- Génomique métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ. Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91057 Évry, France
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Evolutionary Analysis of Placental Orthologues Reveals Two Ancient DNA Virus Integrations. J Virol 2022; 96:e0093322. [DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00933-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The genomes of vertebrates preserve a large diversity of endogenous viral elements (remnants of ancient viruses that accumulate in host genomes over evolutionary time). Although retroviruses account for the vast majority of these elements, diverse DNA viruses have also been found and novel lineages are being described.
Collapse
|
31
|
Abstract
Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth, and yet, they have not received enough consideration in astrobiology. Viruses are also extraordinarily diverse, which is evident in the types of relationships they establish with their host, their strategies to store and replicate their genetic information and the enormous diversity of genes they contain. A viral population, especially if it corresponds to a virus with an RNA genome, can contain an array of sequence variants that greatly exceeds what is present in most cell populations. The fact that viruses always need cellular resources to multiply means that they establish very close interactions with cells. Although in the short term these relationships may appear to be negative for life, it is evident that they can be beneficial in the long term. Viruses are one of the most powerful selective pressures that exist, accelerating the evolution of defense mechanisms in the cellular world. They can also exchange genetic material with the host during the infection process, providing organisms with capacities that favor the colonization of new ecological niches or confer an advantage over competitors, just to cite a few examples. In addition, viruses have a relevant participation in the biogeochemical cycles of our planet, contributing to the recycling of the matter necessary for the maintenance of life. Therefore, although viruses have traditionally been excluded from the tree of life, the structure of this tree is largely the result of the interactions that have been established throughout the intertwined history of the cellular and the viral worlds. We do not know how other possible biospheres outside our planet could be, but it is clear that viruses play an essential role in the terrestrial one. Therefore, they must be taken into account both to improve our understanding of life that we know, and to understand other possible lives that might exist in the cosmos.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio de la Higuera
- Department of Biology, Center for Life in Extreme Environments, Portland State University, Portland, OR, United States
| | - Ester Lázaro
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Torrejón de Ardoz, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
Kogay R, Koppenhöfer S, Beatty JT, Kuhn JH, Lang AS, Zhaxybayeva O. Formal recognition and classification of gene transfer agents as viriforms. Virus Evol 2022; 8:veac100. [PMID: 36381234 PMCID: PMC9662315 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veac100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Morphological and genetic features strongly suggest that gene transfer agents (GTAs) are caudoviricete-derived entities that have evolved in concert with cellular genomes to such a degree that they should not be considered viruses. Indeed, GTA particles resemble caudoviricete virions, but, in contrast to caudoviricetes (or any viruses), GTAs can encapsidate at best only part of their own genomes, are induced solely in small subpopulations of prokaryotic host cells, and are transmitted vertically as part of cellular genomes during replication and division. Therefore, the lifecycles of GTAs are analogous to virus-derived entities found in the parasitoid wasps, which have recently been recognized as non-virus entities and therefore reclassified as viriforms. We evaluated three distinct, independently exapted GTA groups, for which the genetic basis for GTA particle production has been established. Based on the evidence, we outline a classification scheme for these viriforms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roman Kogay
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, 78 College Street, Hanover, NH, USA
| | | | - J Thomas Beatty
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, 2350 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Jens H Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, Division of Clinical Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, B-8200 Research Plaza, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
| | - Andrew S Lang
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John’s, NL A1C 5S7, Canada
| | - Olga Zhaxybayeva
- Department of Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, 78 College Street, Hanover, NH, USA
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 45 Arctic Ave., St. John’s, NL A1C 5S7, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Braga LPP, Orland C, Emilson EJS, Fitch AA, Osterholz H, Dittmar T, Basiliko N, Mykytczuk NCS, Tanentzap AJ. Viruses direct carbon cycling in lake sediments under global change. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2202261119. [PMID: 36206369 PMCID: PMC9564219 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2202261119] [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: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Global change is altering the vast amount of carbon cycled by microbes between land and freshwater, but how viruses mediate this process is poorly understood. Here, we show that viruses direct carbon cycling in lake sediments, and these impacts intensify with future changes in water clarity and terrestrial organic matter (tOM) inputs. Using experimental tOM gradients within sediments of a clear and a dark boreal lake, we identified 156 viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs), of which 21% strongly increased with abundances of key bacteria and archaea, identified via metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs). MAGs included the most abundant prokaryotes, which were themselves associated with dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition and greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations. Increased abundances of virus-like particles were separately associated with reduced bacterial metabolism and with shifts in DOM toward amino sugars, likely released by cell lysis rather than higher molecular mass compounds accumulating from reduced tOM degradation. An additional 9.6% of vOTUs harbored auxiliary metabolic genes associated with DOM and GHGs. Taken together, these different effects on host dynamics and metabolism can explain why abundances of vOTUs rather than MAGs were better overall predictors of carbon cycling. Future increases in tOM quantity, but not quality, will change viral composition and function with consequences for DOM pools. Given their importance, viruses must now be explicitly considered in efforts to understand and predict the freshwater carbon cycle and its future under global environmental change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas P. P. Braga
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
- Institute of Chemistry, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-900, Brazil
| | - Chloé Orland
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| | - Erik J. S. Emilson
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| | - Amelia A. Fitch
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| | - Helena Osterholz
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment and Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity, University of Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Thorsten Dittmar
- Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment and Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity, University of Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Nathan Basiliko
- Vale Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON P3E2C6, Canada
| | | | - Andrew J. Tanentzap
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EA, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Abstract
In this article, the evolution of viruses is analyzed in terms of their complexity. It is shown that the evolution of viruses is a partially directed process. The participation of viruses and mobile genetic elements in the evolution of other organisms by integration into the genome is also an a priori directed process. The high variability of genomes (including the genes of antibodies), which differs by orders of magnitude for various viruses and their hosts, is not a random process but is the result of the action of a molecular genetic control system. Herein, a model of partially directed evolution of viruses is proposed. Throughout the life cycle of viruses, there is an interaction of complex biologically important molecules that cannot be explained on the basis of classic laws. The interaction of a virus with a cell is essentially a quantum event, including selective long-range action. Such an interaction can be interpreted as the "remote key-lock" principle. In this article, a model of the interaction of biologically important viral molecules with cellular molecules based on nontrivial quantum interactions is proposed. Experiments to test the model are also proposed.
Collapse
|
35
|
Sakaguchi S, Urayama SI, Takaki Y, Hirosuna K, Wu H, Suzuki Y, Nunoura T, Nakano T, Nakagawa S. NeoRdRp: A Comprehensive Dataset for Identifying RNA-dependent RNA Polymerases of Various RNA Viruses from Metatranscriptomic Data. Microbes Environ 2022; 37. [PMID: 36002304 PMCID: PMC9530720 DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.me22001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA viruses are distributed throughout various environments, and most have recently been identified by metatranscriptome sequencing. However, due to the high nucleotide diversity of RNA viruses, it is still challenging to identify novel RNA viruses from metatranscriptome data. To overcome this issue, we created a dataset of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) domains that are essential for all RNA viruses belonging to Orthornavirae. Genes with RdRp domains from various RNA viruses were clustered based on amino acid sequence similarities. A multiple sequence alignment was generated for each cluster, and a hidden Markov model (HMM) profile was created when the number of sequences was greater than three. We further refined 426 HMM profiles by detecting RefSeq RNA virus sequences and subsequently combined the hit sequences with the RdRp domains. As a result, 1,182 HMM profiles were generated from 12,502 RdRp domain sequences, and the dataset was named NeoRdRp. The majority of NeoRdRp HMM profiles successfully detected RdRp domains, specifically in the UniProt dataset. Furthermore, we compared the NeoRdRp dataset with two previously reported methods for RNA virus detection using metatranscriptome sequencing data. Our methods successfully identified the majority of RNA viruses in the datasets; however, some RNA viruses were not detected, similar to the other two methods. NeoRdRp may be repeatedly improved by the addition of new RdRp sequences and is applicable as a system for detecting various RNA viruses from diverse metatranscriptome data.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shoichi Sakaguchi
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University
| | - Syun-Ichi Urayama
- Laboratory of Fungal Interaction and Molecular Biology (donated by IFO), Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba
| | - Yoshihiro Takaki
- Super-cuttingedge Grand and Advanced Research (SUGAR) Program, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
| | | | - Hong Wu
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University
| | - Youichi Suzuki
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University
| | - Takuro Nunoura
- Research Center for Bioscience and Nanoscience (CeBN), Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
| | - Takashi Nakano
- Department of Microbiology and Infection Control, Faculty of Medicine, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University
| | - So Nakagawa
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Tokai University School of Medicine
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Miller WA, Lozier Z. Yellow Dwarf Viruses of Cereals: Taxonomy and Molecular Mechanisms. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY 2022; 60:121-141. [PMID: 35436423 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-121421-125135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Yellow dwarf viruses are the most economically important and widespread viruses of cereal crops. Although they share common biological properties such as phloem limitation and obligate aphid transmission, the replication machinery and associated cis-acting signals of these viruses fall into two unrelated taxa represented by Barley yellow dwarf virus and Cereal yellow dwarf virus. Here, we explain the reclassification of these viruses based on their very different genomes. We also provide an overview of viral protein functions and their interactions with the host and vector, replication mechanisms of viral and satellite RNAs, and the complex gene expression strategies. Throughout, we point out key unanswered questions in virus evolution, structural biology, and genome function and replication that, when answered, may ultimately provide new tools for virus management.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- W Allen Miller
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA;
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| | - Zachary Lozier
- Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA;
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Program, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Campbell LJ, Castillo NA, Dunn CD, Perez A, Schmitter-Soto JJ, Mejri SC, Boucek RE, Corujo RS, Adams AJ, Rehage JS, Goldberg TL. Viruses of Atlantic Bonefish ( Albula vulpes) in Florida and the Caribbean show geographic patterns consistent with population declines. ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY OF FISHES 2022; 106:303-317. [PMID: 35965638 PMCID: PMC9362051 DOI: 10.1007/s10641-022-01306-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Atlantic Bonefish (Albula vulpes) are economically important due to their popularity with recreational anglers. In the State of Florida, USA, bonefish population numbers declined by approximately 60% between the 1990s and 2015. Habitat loss, water quality impairment, chemical inputs, and other anthropogenic factors have been implicated as causes, but the role of pathogens has been largely overlooked, especially with respect to viruses. We used a metagenomic approach to identify and quantify viruses in the blood of 103 A. vulpes sampled throughout their Western Atlantic range, including populations in Florida that have experienced population declines and populations in Belize, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and The Bahamas that have remained apparently stable. We identified four viruses, all of which are members of families known to infect marine fishes (Flaviviridae, Iflaviridae, Narnaviridae, and Nodaviridae), but all of which were previously undescribed. Bonefish from Florida and Mexico had higher viral richness (numbers of distinct viruses per individual fish) than fish sampled from other areas, and bonefish from the Upper Florida Keys had the highest prevalence of viral infection (proportion of positive fish) than fish sampled from any other location. Bonefish from Florida also had markedly higher viral loads than fish sampled from any other area, both for a novel narnavirus and for all viruses combined. Bonefish viruses may be indicators of environmentally driven physiological and immunological compromise, causes of ill health, or both. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10641-022-01306-9.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lewis J. Campbell
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
| | - Nicholas A. Castillo
- Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL USA
| | - Christopher D. Dunn
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
| | | | - Juan J. Schmitter-Soto
- Departamento de Sistemática y Ecología Acuática, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Q.R, Campeche, Mexico
| | - Sahar C. Mejri
- Department of Aquaculture and Stock Enhancement, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, FL USA
| | | | | | - Aaron J. Adams
- Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, Miami, FL USA
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, Florida Atlantic University, Fort Pierce, FL USA
| | - Jennifer S. Rehage
- Department of Earth and Environment, Florida International University, Miami, FL USA
| | - Tony L. Goldberg
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI USA
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Abstract
Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites. Despite their dependence on host cells, viruses are evolutionarily autonomous, with their own genomes and evolutionary trajectories locked in arms races with the hosts. Here, we discuss a simple functional logic to explain virus macroevolution that appears to define the course of virus evolution. A small core of virus hallmark genes that are responsible for genome replication apparently descended from primordial replicators, whereas most virus genes, starting with those encoding capsid proteins, were subsequently acquired from hosts. The oldest of these acquisitions antedate the last universal cellular ancestor (LUCA). Host gene capture followed two major routes: convergent recruitment of genes with functions that directly benefit virus reproduction and exaptation when host proteins are repurposed for unique virus functions. These forms of host protein recruitment by viruses result in different levels of similarity between virus and host homologs, with the exapted ones often changing beyond easy recognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA.
| | - Valerian V Dolja
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA; Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR6047, Archaeal Virology Unit, F-75015 Paris, France.
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
de la Peña M, Gago-Zachert S. A life of research on circular RNAs and ribozymes: towards the origin of viroids, deltaviruses and life. Virus Res 2022; 314:198757. [PMID: 35346751 DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2022.198757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The first examples of circular RNAs (circRNAs) were reported in the '70s as a family of minimal infectious agents of flowering plants; the viroids and viral satellites of circRNA. In some cases, these small circular genomes encode self-cleaving RNA motifs or ribozymes, including an exceptional circRNA infecting not plants but humans: the Hepatitis Delta Virus. Autocatalytic ribozymes not only allowed to propose a common rolling-circle replication mechanism for all these subviral agents, but also a tentative link with the origin of life as molecular fossils of the so-called RNA world. Despite the weak biologic connection between angiosperm plants and the human liver, diverse scientists, and most notably Ricardo Flores, firmly supported an evolutionary relationship between plant viroids and human deltavirus agents. The tireless and inspiring work done by Ricardo's lab in the field of infectious circRNAs fuelled multiple hypotheses for the origin of these entities, allowing advances in other fields, from eukaryotic circRNAs to small ribozymes in genomes from all life kingdoms. The recent discovery of a plethora of viral-like circRNAs with ribozymes in disparate biological samples may finally allow us to connect plant and animal subviral agents, confirming again that Ricardo's eye for science was always a keen eye.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcos de la Peña
- Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (CSIC-UPV). C/ Ingeniero Fausto Elio s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain.
| | - Selma Gago-Zachert
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Section Microbial Biotechnology, Halle/Saale D-06120, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Di Paola N, Dheilly NM, Junglen S, Paraskevopoulou S, Postler TS, Shi M, Kuhn JH. Jingchuvirales: a New Taxonomical Framework for a Rapidly Expanding Order of Unusual Monjiviricete Viruses Broadly Distributed among Arthropod Subphyla. Appl Environ Microbiol 2022; 88:e0195421. [PMID: 35108077 PMCID: PMC8939347 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01954-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Technical advances in metagenomics and metatranscriptomics have dramatically accelerated virus discovery in recent years. "Chuviruses" were first described in 2015 as obscure negative-sense RNA viruses of diverse arthropods. Although "chuviruses" first appeared to be members of the negarnaviricot order Mononegavirales in phylogenetic analyses using RNA-directed RNA polymerase sequences, further characterization revealed unusual gene orders in genomes that are nonsegmented, segmented, and/or possibly circular. Consequently, a separate order, Jingchuvirales, was established to include a monospecific family, Chuviridae. Recently, it has become apparent that jingchuvirals are broadly distributed and are therefore likely of ecological and economic importance. Here, we describe recent and ongoing efforts to create the necessary taxonomic framework to accommodate the expected flood of novel viruses belonging to the order.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Di Paola
- United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| | - Nolwenn M. Dheilly
- UMR 1161 Virology ANSES/INRAE/ENVA, ANSES Animal Health Laboratory, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Sandra Junglen
- Institute of Virology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sofia Paraskevopoulou
- Institute of Virology, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas S. Postler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Mang Shi
- Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Jens H. Kuhn
- Integrated Research Facility at Fort Detrick, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, USA
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Krupovic M, Makarova KS, Koonin EV. Cellular homologs of the double jelly-roll major capsid proteins clarify the origins of an ancient virus kingdom. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2120620119. [PMID: 35078938 PMCID: PMC8812541 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2120620119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Viruses are a distinct type of replicators that encode structural proteins encasing virus genomes in virions. For some of the widespread virus capsid proteins and other major components of virions, likely ancestors encoded by cellular life forms are identifiable. In particular, one of the most common capsid proteins, with the single jelly-roll (SJR) fold, appears to have evolved from a particular family of cellular carbohydrate-binding proteins. However, the double jelly-roll major capsid protein (DJR-MCP), the hallmark of the enormously diverse viruses of the kingdom Bamfordvirae within the realm Varidnaviria, which includes bacterial and archaeal icosahedral viruses as well as eukaryotic giant viruses, has been perceived as a virus innovation that evolved by duplication and fusion of the SJR capsid proteins. Here we employ protein structure comparison to show that the DJR fold is represented in several widespread families of cellular proteins, including several groups of carbohydrate-active enzymes. We show that DJR-MCPs share a common ancestry with a distinct family of bacterial DJR proteins (DUF2961) involved in carbohydrate metabolism. Based on this finding, we propose a scenario in which bamfordviruses evolved from nonviral replicators, in particular plasmids, by recruiting a host protein for capsid formation. This sequence of events appears to be the general route of virus origin. The results of this work indicate that virus kingdoms Bamfordvirae, with the DJR-MCPs, and Helvetiavirae that possess two SJR-MCPs, have distinct origins, suggesting a reappraisal of the realm Varidnaviria.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mart Krupovic
- Archaeal Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, F-75015 Paris, France;
| | - Kira S Makarova
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Viroids and Viroid-like Circular RNAs: Do They Descend from Primordial Replicators? LIFE (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 12:life12010103. [PMID: 35054497 PMCID: PMC8781251 DOI: 10.3390/life12010103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Viroids are a unique class of plant pathogens that consist of small circular RNA molecules, between 220 and 450 nucleotides in size. Viroids encode no proteins and are the smallest known infectious agents. Viroids replicate via the rolling circle mechanism, producing multimeric intermediates which are cleaved to unit length either by ribozymes formed from both polarities of the viroid genomic RNA or by coopted host RNAses. Many viroid-like small circular RNAs are satellites of plant RNA viruses. Ribozyviruses, represented by human hepatitis delta virus, are larger viroid-like circular RNAs that additionally encode the viral nucleocapsid protein. It has been proposed that viroids are direct descendants of primordial RNA replicons that were present in the hypothetical RNA world. We argue, however, that much later origin of viroids, possibly, from recently discovered mobile genetic elements known as retrozymes, is a far more parsimonious evolutionary scenario. Nevertheless, viroids and viroid-like circular RNAs are minimal replicators that are likely to be close to the theoretical lower limit of replicator size and arguably comprise the paradigm for replicator emergence. Thus, although viroid-like replicators are unlikely to be direct descendants of primordial RNA replicators, the study of the diversity and evolution of these ultimate genetic parasites can yield insights into the earliest stages of the evolution of life.
Collapse
|
44
|
Slater A, Nair N, Suétt R, Mac Donnchadha R, Bamford C, Jasim S, Livingstone D, Hutchinson E. Visualising Viruses. J Gen Virol 2022; 103:001730. [PMID: 35082014 PMCID: PMC8895616 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Viruses pose a challenge to our imaginations. They exert a highly visible influence on the world in which we live, but operate at scales we cannot directly perceive and without a clear separation between their own biology and that of their hosts. Communication about viruses is therefore typically grounded in mental images of virus particles. Virus particles, as the infectious stage of the viral replication cycle, can be used to explain many directly observable properties of transmission, infection and immunity. In addition, their often striking beauty can stimulate further interest in virology. The structures of some virus particles have been determined experimentally in great detail, but for many important viruses a detailed description of the virus particle is lacking. This can be because they are challenging to describe with a single experimental method, or simply because of a lack of data. In these cases, methods from medical illustration can be applied to produce detailed visualisations of virus particles which integrate information from multiple sources. Here, we demonstrate how this approach was used to visualise the highly variable virus particles of influenza A viruses and, in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus particles of the then newly characterised and poorly described SARS-CoV-2. We show how constructing integrative illustrations of virus particles can challenge our thinking about the biology of viruses, as well as providing tools for science communication, and we provide a set of science communication resources to help visualise two viruses whose effects are extremely apparent to all of us.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Annabel Slater
- School of Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Naina Nair
- School of Simulation and Visualisation, The Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, UK
| | - Rachael Suétt
- School of Simulation and Visualisation, The Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, UK
| | | | - Connor Bamford
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
- Present address: Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Ireland
| | - Seema Jasim
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - Daniel Livingstone
- School of Simulation and Visualisation, The Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|