1
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Queiroz VF, Rodrigues RAL, Abrahão JS. A taxonomic proposal for cedratviruses, orpheoviruses, and pithoviruses. Arch Virol 2024; 169:132. [PMID: 38822903 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-024-06055-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024]
Abstract
Orpheoviruses, cedratviruses, and pithoviruses are large DNA viruses that cluster together taxonomically within the order Pimascovirales of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota. However, they were not classified previously by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of the gene content, morphology, and phylogenomics of these viruses, providing data that underpinned the recent proposal to establish new taxa for their initial classification. The new taxonomy, which has now been ratified by the ICTV, includes the family Orpheoviridae and genus Alphaorpheovirus, the family Pithoviridae and genus Alphapithovirus, and the family Cedratviridae and genus Alphacedratvirus, aiming to formally catalogue the isolates covered in this study. Additionally, as per the newly adopted rules, we applied standardized binomial names for the virus species created to classify isolates with complete genome sequences available in public databases at the time of the proposal. The specific epithet of each virus species was chosen as a reference to the location where the exemplar virus was isolated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victória F Queiroz
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, MG, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo A L Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, MG, Brazil
| | - Jônatas Santos Abrahão
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, MG, Brazil.
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2
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Nobre SVA, de Andrade GAK, Metz GF, Lucini F, de Albuquerque MP, Victória FDC. Antarctica's hidden mycoviral treasures in fungi isolated from mosses: A first genomic approach. J Basic Microbiol 2024:e202300671. [PMID: 38736205 DOI: 10.1002/jobm.202300671] [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: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
This study investigates the presence of mycoviruses in Antarctic fungi and elucidates their evolutionary relationships. To achieve this, we aligned mycoviral gene sequences with genomes of previously sequenced Antarctic endophytic fungi, made available by our research group and accessible via Joint Genome Institute. Our findings reveal that the most prevalent genetic regions in all endophytic fungi are homologous to Partitiviruses, Baculoviridae, and Phycodnaviridae. These regions display evidence of positive selection pressure, suggesting genetic diversity and the accumulation of nonsynonymous mutations. This phenomenon implies a crucial role for these regions in the adaptation and survival of these fungi in the challenging Antarctic ecosystems. The presence of mycoviruses in Antarctic endophytic fungi may indicate shared survival strategies between the virus and its host, shedding light on their evolutionary dynamics. This study underscores the significance of exploring mycoviruses within endophytic fungi and their contributions to genetic diversity. Future research avenues could delve into the functional implications of these conserved mycoviral genetic regions in Antarctic endophytic fungi, providing a comprehensive understanding of this intriguing association and genomic retention of viral region in fungi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steffany V A Nobre
- Curso de Biotecnologia, Universidade Federal do Pampa, São Gabriel, Brazil
- Núcleo de Estudos da Vegetação Antártica, São Gabriel, Brazil
| | - Guilherme A K de Andrade
- Núcleo de Estudos da Vegetação Antártica, São Gabriel, Brazil
- PPGCB-UNIPAMPA, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, São Gabriel, Brazil
| | - Geferson F Metz
- Núcleo de Estudos da Vegetação Antártica, São Gabriel, Brazil
- PPGCB-UNIPAMPA, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, São Gabriel, Brazil
| | - Fabíola Lucini
- Programa Antártico Brasileiro, Brasilia-DF, Brazil
- Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde-FCS, Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), Dourados, Brazil
| | - Margéli P de Albuquerque
- Núcleo de Estudos da Vegetação Antártica, São Gabriel, Brazil
- Programa Antártico Brasileiro, Brasilia-DF, Brazil
| | - Filipe de C Victória
- Núcleo de Estudos da Vegetação Antártica, São Gabriel, Brazil
- PPGCB-UNIPAMPA, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas, São Gabriel, Brazil
- Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde-FCS, Federal University of Grande Dourados (UFGD), Dourados, Brazil
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3
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Hargrove T, Lamb DC, Wawrzak Z, Hull M, Kelly SL, Guengerich FP, Lepesheva GI. Identification of Potent and Selective Inhibitors of Acanthamoeba: Structural Insights into Sterol 14α-Demethylase as a Key Drug Target. J Med Chem 2024; 67:7443-7457. [PMID: 38683753 PMCID: PMC11089504 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c00303] [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: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Acanthamoeba are free-living pathogenic protozoa that cause blinding keratitis, disseminated infection, and granulomatous amebic encephalitis, which is generally fatal. The development of efficient and safe drugs is a critical unmet need. Acanthamoeba sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) is an essential enzyme of the sterol biosynthetic pathway. Repurposing antifungal azoles for amoebic infections has been reported, but their inhibitory effects on Acanthamoeba CYP51 enzymatic activity have not been studied. Here, we report catalytic properties, inhibition, and structural characterization of CYP51 from Acanthamoeba castellanii. The enzyme displays a 100-fold substrate preference for obtusifoliol over lanosterol, supporting the plant-like cycloartenol-based pathway in the pathogen. The strongest inhibition was observed with voriconazole (1 h IC50 0.45 μM), VT1598 (0.25 μM), and VT1161 (0.20 μM). The crystal structures of A. castellanii CYP51 with bound VT1161 (2.24 Å) and without an inhibitor (1.95 Å), presented here, can be used in the development of azole-based scaffolds to achieve optimal amoebicidal effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana
Y. Hargrove
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - David C. Lamb
- Faculty
of Medicine, Health and Life Science, Swansea
University, Swansea SA2 8PP, U.K.
| | - Zdzislaw Wawrzak
- Synchrotron
Research Center, Life Science Collaborative Access Team, Northwestern University, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Marcus Hull
- Faculty
of Medicine, Health and Life Science, Swansea
University, Swansea SA2 8PP, U.K.
| | - Steven L. Kelly
- Faculty
of Medicine, Health and Life Science, Swansea
University, Swansea SA2 8PP, U.K.
| | - F. Peter Guengerich
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
| | - Galina I. Lepesheva
- Department
of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University School
of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Vanderbilt
Institute of Chemical Biology, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
- Center
for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, United States
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4
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Akashi M, Takemura M, Suzuki S. Continuous year-round isolation of giant viruses from brackish shoreline soils. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1402690. [PMID: 38756730 PMCID: PMC11096492 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1402690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Giant viruses, categorized under Nucleocytoviricota, are believed to exist ubiquitously in natural environments. However, comprehensive reports on isolated giant viruses remain scarce, with limited information available on unrecoverable strains, viral proliferation sites, and natural hosts. Previously, the author highlighted Pandoravirus hades, Pandoravirus persephone, and Mimivirus sp. styx, isolated from brackish water soil, as potential hotspots for giant virus multiplication. This study presents findings from nearly a year of monthly sampling within the same brackish water region after isolating the three aforementioned strains. This report details the recurrent isolation of a wide range of giant viruses. Each month, four soil samples were randomly collected from an approximately 5 × 10 m plot, comprising three soil samples and one water sample containing sediment from the riverbed. Acanthamoeba castellanii was used as a host for virus isolation. These efforts consistently yielded at least one viral species per month, culminating in a total of 55 giant virus isolates. The most frequently isolated species was Mimiviridae (24 isolates), followed by Marseilleviridae (23 isolates), Pandoravirus (6 isolates), and singular isolates of Pithovirus and Cedratvirus. Notably, viruses were not consistently isolated from any of the four samples every month, with certain sites yielding no viruses. Cluster analysis based on isolate numbers revealed that soil samples from May and water and sediment samples from January produced the highest number of viral strains. These findings underscore brackish coastal soil as a significant site for isolating numerous giant viruses, highlighting the non-uniform distribution along coastlines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motohiro Akashi
- Department of Science and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Seikei University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaharu Takemura
- Institute of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Seiichi Suzuki
- Department of Science and Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Seikei University, Tokyo, Japan
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5
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Arthofer P, Panhölzl F, Delafont V, Hay A, Reipert S, Cyran N, Wienkoop S, Willemsen A, Sifaoui I, Arberas-Jiménez I, Schulz F, Lorenzo-Morales J, Horn M. A giant virus infecting the amoeboflagellate Naegleria. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3307. [PMID: 38658525 PMCID: PMC11043551 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47308-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Giant viruses (Nucleocytoviricota) are significant lethality agents of various eukaryotic hosts. Although metagenomics indicates their ubiquitous distribution, available giant virus isolates are restricted to a very small number of protist and algal hosts. Here we report on the first viral isolate that replicates in the amoeboflagellate Naegleria. This genus comprises the notorious human pathogen Naegleria fowleri, the causative agent of the rare but fatal primary amoebic meningoencephalitis. We have elucidated the structure and infection cycle of this giant virus, Catovirus naegleriensis (a.k.a. Naegleriavirus, NiV), and show its unique adaptations to its Naegleria host using fluorescence in situ hybridization, electron microscopy, genomics, and proteomics. Naegleriavirus is only the fourth isolate of the highly diverse subfamily Klosneuvirinae, and like its relatives the NiV genome contains a large number of translation genes, but lacks transfer RNAs (tRNAs). NiV has acquired genes from its Naegleria host, which code for heat shock proteins and apoptosis inhibiting factors, presumably for host interactions. Notably, NiV infection was lethal to all Naegleria species tested, including the human pathogen N. fowleri. This study expands our experimental framework for investigating giant viruses and may help to better understand the basic biology of the human pathogen N. fowleri.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrick Arthofer
- University of Vienna, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Vienna, Austria
- University of Vienna, Doctoral School in Microbiology and Environmental Science, Vienna, Austria
| | - Florian Panhölzl
- University of Vienna, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Vincent Delafont
- Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions Laboratory (EBI), Microorganisms, hosts & environments team, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS, Poitiers, France
| | - Alban Hay
- Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions Laboratory (EBI), Microorganisms, hosts & environments team, Université de Poitiers, UMR CNRS, Poitiers, France
| | - Siegfried Reipert
- University of Vienna, Research Support Facilities UBB, Vienna, Austria
| | - Norbert Cyran
- University of Vienna, Research Support Facilities UBB, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefanie Wienkoop
- University of Vienna, Department of Functional and Evolutionary Ecology, Division of Molecular Systems Biology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Anouk Willemsen
- University of Vienna, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ines Sifaoui
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, and Departamento de Obstetricia y Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Iñigo Arberas-Jiménez
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, and Departamento de Obstetricia y Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain
| | - Frederik Schulz
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, USA
| | - Jacob Lorenzo-Morales
- Instituto Universitario de Enfermedades Tropicales y Salud Pública de Canarias, and Departamento de Obstetricia y Ginecología, Pediatría, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Toxicología, Medicina Legal y Forense y Parasitología, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Islas Canarias, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Infecciosas (CIBERINFEC), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Matthias Horn
- University of Vienna, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Vienna, Austria.
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6
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Yu M, Zhang M, Zeng R, Cheng R, Zhang R, Hou Y, Kuang F, Feng X, Dong X, Li Y, Shao Z, Jin M. Diversity and potential host-interactions of viruses inhabiting deep-sea seamount sediments. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3228. [PMID: 38622147 PMCID: PMC11018836 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47600-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Seamounts are globally distributed across the oceans and form one of the major oceanic biomes. Here, we utilized combined analyses of bulk metagenome and virome to study viral communities in seamount sediments in the western Pacific Ocean. Phylogenetic analyses and the protein-sharing network demonstrate extensive diversity and previously unknown viral clades. Inference of virus-host linkages uncovers extensive interactions between viruses and dominant prokaryote lineages, and suggests that viruses play significant roles in carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen cycling by compensating or augmenting host metabolisms. Moreover, temperate viruses are predicted to be prevalent in seamount sediments, which tend to carry auxiliary metabolic genes for host survivability. Intriguingly, the geographical features of seamounts likely compromise the connectivity of viral communities and thus contribute to the high divergence of viral genetic spaces and populations across seamounts. Altogether, these findings provides knowledge essential for understanding the biogeography and ecological roles of viruses in globally widespread seamounts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meishun Yu
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resource and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361000, China
| | - Menghui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resource and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361000, China
| | - Runying Zeng
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resource and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361000, China
| | - Ruolin Cheng
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resource and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361000, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- Institute for Advanced Study, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yanping Hou
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resource and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361000, China
| | - Fangfang Kuang
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resource and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361000, China
| | - Xuejin Feng
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resource and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361000, China
| | - Xiyang Dong
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resource and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361000, China
| | - Yinfang Li
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resource and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361000, China
| | - Zongze Shao
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resource and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361000, China.
| | - Min Jin
- State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Marine Genetic Resource and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, 361000, China.
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7
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Upadhyay M, Nair D, Moseley GW, Srivastava S, Kondabagil K. Giant Virus Global Proteomics Innovation: Comparative Evaluation of In-Gel and In-Solution Digestion Methods. OMICS : A JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY 2024; 28:170-181. [PMID: 38621149 DOI: 10.1089/omi.2024.0012] [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: 04/17/2024]
Abstract
With their unusually large genome and particle sizes, giant viruses (GVs) defy the conventional definition of viruses. Although most GVs isolated infect unicellular protozoans, such as amoeba, studies in the last decade have established their much wider prevalence infecting most eukaryotic supergroups and some giant viral families with the potential to be human pathogens. Their complexity, almost autonomous life cycle, and enigmatic evolution necessitate the study of GVs. The accurate assessment of GV proteome is a veritable challenge. We have compared the coverage of global protein identification using different methods for GVs isolated in Mumbai, Mimivirus Bombay (MVB), Powai Lake Megavirus (PLMV), and Kurlavirus (KV), along with two previously studied GVs, Acanthamoeba polyphaga Mimivirus (APMV) and Marseillevirus (MV). Our study shows that the simultaneous use of in-gel and in-solution digestion methods can significantly increase the coverage of protein identification in the global proteome analysis of purified GV particles. Combining the two methods of analyses, we identified an additional 72 proteins in APMV and 114 in MV compared with what have been previously reported. Similarly, proteomes of MVB, PLMV, and KV were analyzed, and a total of 242 proteins in MVB, 287 proteins in PLMV, and 174 proteins in KV were identified. Our results suggest that a combined methodology of in-gel and in-solution methods is more efficient and opens up new avenues for innovation in global proteome analysis of GVs. Future planetary health research on GVs can benefit from consideration of a broader range of proteomics methodologies as illustrated by the present study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Upadhyay
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Divya Nair
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
| | - Gregory W Moseley
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
| | - Sanjeeva Srivastava
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
| | - Kiran Kondabagil
- Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India
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8
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Morimoto D, Tateishi N, Takahashi M, Nagasaki K. Isolation of viruses, including mollivirus, with the potential to infect Acanthamoeba from a Japanese warm temperate zone. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301185. [PMID: 38547190 PMCID: PMC10977731 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Acanthamoeba castellanii is infected with diverse nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses. Here, we report the co-isolation of 12 viral strains from marine sediments in Uranouchi Inlet, Kochi, Japan. Based on the morphological features revealed by electron microscopy, these isolates were classified into four viral groups including Megamimiviridae, Molliviridae, Pandoraviridae, and Pithoviridae. Genomic analyses indicated that these isolates showed high similarities to the known viral genomes with which they are taxonomically clustered, and their phylogenetic relationships were also supported by core gene similarities. It is noteworthy that Molliviridae was isolated from the marine sediments in the Japanese warm temperate zone because other strains have only been found in the subarctic region. Furthermore, this strain has 19 and 4 strain-specific genes found in Mollivirus sibericum and Mollivirus kamchatka, respectively. This study extends our knowledge about the habitat and genomic diversity of Molliviridae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daichi Morimoto
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
| | - Naohisa Tateishi
- Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
| | | | - Keizo Nagasaki
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
- Faculty of Agriculture and Marine Science, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, Japan
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9
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Queiroz VF, Tatara JM, Botelho BB, Rodrigues RAL, Almeida GMDF, Abrahao JS. The consequences of viral infection on protists. Commun Biol 2024; 7:306. [PMID: 38462656 PMCID: PMC10925606 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06001-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Protists encompass a vast widely distributed group of organisms, surpassing the diversity observed in metazoans. Their diverse ecological niches and life forms are intriguing characteristics that render them valuable subjects for in-depth cell biology studies. Throughout history, viruses have played a pivotal role in elucidating complex cellular processes, particularly in the context of cellular responses to viral infections. In this comprehensive review, we provide an overview of the cellular alterations that are triggered in specific hosts following different viral infections and explore intricate biological interactions observed in experimental conditions using different host-pathogen groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Fulgencio Queiroz
- Federal University of Minas Gerais, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Juliana Miranda Tatara
- The Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Bruna Barbosa Botelho
- Federal University of Minas Gerais, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Araújo Lima Rodrigues
- Federal University of Minas Gerais, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Magno de Freitas Almeida
- The Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Jonatas Santos Abrahao
- Federal University of Minas Gerais, Institute of Biological Sciences, Department of Microbiology, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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10
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Simón D, Ramos N, Lamolle G, Musto H. Two decades ago, giant viruses were discovered: the fall of an old paradigm. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1356711. [PMID: 38463488 PMCID: PMC10920292 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1356711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Diego Simón
- Laboratorio de Genómica Evolutiva, Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Laboratorio de Virología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Centro de Investigaciones Nucleares, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Laboratorio de Evolución Experimental de Virus, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Natalia Ramos
- Sección Virología, Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Guillermo Lamolle
- Laboratorio de Genómica Evolutiva, Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Héctor Musto
- Laboratorio de Genómica Evolutiva, Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias, Montevideo, Uruguay
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11
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Koonin EV, Kuhn JH, Dolja VV, Krupovic M. Megataxonomy and global ecology of the virosphere. THE ISME JOURNAL 2024; 18:wrad042. [PMID: 38365236 PMCID: PMC10848233 DOI: 10.1093/ismejo/wrad042] [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: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Nearly all organisms are hosts to multiple viruses that collectively appear to be the most abundant biological entities in the biosphere. With recent advances in metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, the known diversity of viruses substantially expanded. Comparative analysis of these viruses using advanced computational methods culminated in the reconstruction of the evolution of major groups of viruses and enabled the construction of a virus megataxonomy, which has been formally adopted by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses. This comprehensive taxonomy consists of six virus realms, which are aspired to be monophyletic and assembled based on the conservation of hallmark proteins involved in capsid structure formation or genome replication. The viruses in different major taxa substantially differ in host range and accordingly in ecological niches. In this review article, we outline the latest developments in virus megataxonomy and the recent discoveries that will likely lead to reassessment of some major taxa, in particular, split of three of the current six realms into two or more independent realms. We then discuss the correspondence between virus taxonomy and the distribution of viruses among hosts and ecological niches, as well as the abundance of viruses versus cells in different habitats. The distribution of viruses across environments appears to be primarily determined by the host ranges, i.e. the virome is shaped by the composition of the biome in a given habitat, which itself is affected by abiotic factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, United States
| | - 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, United States
| | - Valerian V Dolja
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, United States
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Archaeal Virology Unit, 75015 Paris, France
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12
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Philippe N, Shukla A, Abergel C, Bisio H. Genetic manipulation of giant viruses and their host, Acanthamoeba castellanii. Nat Protoc 2024; 19:3-29. [PMID: 37964008 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-023-00910-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Giant viruses (GVs) provide an unprecedented source of genetic innovation in the viral world and are thus, besides their importance in basic and environmental virology, in the spotlight for bioengineering advances. Their host, Acanthamoeba castellanii, is an accidental human pathogen that acts as a natural host and environmental reservoir of other human pathogens. Tools for genetic manipulation of viruses and host were lacking. Here, we provide a detailed method for genetic manipulation of A. castellanii and the GVs it plays host to by using CRISPR-Cas9 or homologous recombination. We detail the steps of vector preparation (4 d), transfection of amoeba cells (1 h), infection (1 h), selection (5 d for viruses, 2 weeks for amoebas) and cloning of recombinant viruses (4 d) or amoebas (2 weeks). This procedure takes ~3 weeks or 1 month for the generation of recombinant viruses or amoebas, respectively. This methodology allows the generation of stable gene modifications, which was not possible by using RNA silencing, the only previously available reverse genetic tool. We also include detailed sample-preparation steps for protein localization by immunofluorescence (4 h), western blotting (4 h), quantification of viral particles by optical density (15 min), calculation of viral lethal dose 50 (7 d) and quantification of DNA replication by quantitative PCR (4 h) to allow efficient broad phenotyping of recombinant organisms. This methodology allows the function of thousands of ORFan genes present in GVs, as well as the complex pathogen-host, pathogen-pathogen or pathogen-symbiont interactions in A. castellanii, to be studied in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadege Philippe
- Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Genomique & Structurale, Unite Mixte de Recherche 7256 (Institut de Microbiologie de la Mediterranee, FR3479, IM2B), Marseille, France
| | - Avi Shukla
- Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Genomique & Structurale, Unite Mixte de Recherche 7256 (Institut de Microbiologie de la Mediterranee, FR3479, IM2B), Marseille, France
| | - Chantal Abergel
- Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Genomique & Structurale, Unite Mixte de Recherche 7256 (Institut de Microbiologie de la Mediterranee, FR3479, IM2B), Marseille, France.
| | - Hugo Bisio
- Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Genomique & Structurale, Unite Mixte de Recherche 7256 (Institut de Microbiologie de la Mediterranee, FR3479, IM2B), Marseille, France.
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13
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Machado TB, Picorelli ACR, de Azevedo BL, de Aquino ILM, Queiroz VF, Rodrigues RAL, Araújo JP, Ullmann LS, dos Santos TM, Marques RE, Guimarães SL, Andrade ACSP, Gularte JS, Demoliner M, Filippi M, Pereira VMAG, Spilki FR, Krupovic M, Aylward FO, Del-Bem LE, Abrahão JS. Gene duplication as a major force driving the genome expansion in some giant viruses. J Virol 2023; 97:e0130923. [PMID: 38092658 PMCID: PMC10734413 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01309-23] [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] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/22/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Giant viruses are noteworthy not only due to their enormous particles but also because of their gigantic genomes. In this context, a fundamental question has persisted: how did these genomes evolve? Here we present the discovery of cedratvirus pambiensis, featuring the largest genome ever described for a cedratvirus. Our data suggest that the larger size of the genome can be attributed to an unprecedented number of duplicated genes. Further investigation of this phenomenon in other viruses has illuminated gene duplication as a key evolutionary mechanism driving genome expansion in diverse giant viruses. Although gene duplication has been described as a recurrent event in cellular organisms, our data highlights its potential as a pivotal event in the evolution of gigantic viral genomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talita B. Machado
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Agnello C. R. Picorelli
- Laboratório de Genômica Evolutiva, Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Bruna L. de Azevedo
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Isabella L. M. de Aquino
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Victória F. Queiroz
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo A. L. Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - João Pessoa Araújo
- Laboratório de Virologia, Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Leila S. Ullmann
- Laboratório de Virologia, Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Thiago M. dos Santos
- Del-Bem Lab, Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Rafael E. Marques
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Samuel L. Guimarães
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio), Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, Brazil
| | - Ana Cláudia S. P. Andrade
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec- Université Laval, Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Juliana S. Gularte
- Laboratório de Microbiologia Molecular, Universidade Feevale, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
| | - Meriane Demoliner
- Laboratório de Microbiologia Molecular, Universidade Feevale, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
| | - Micheli Filippi
- Laboratório de Microbiologia Molecular, Universidade Feevale, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
| | | | - Fernando R. Spilki
- Laboratório de Microbiologia Molecular, Universidade Feevale, Novo Hamburgo, Brazil
| | - Mart Krupovic
- Archaeal Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, CNRS UMR6047, Paris, France
| | - Frank O. Aylward
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Infectious Disease Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Luiz-Eduardo Del-Bem
- Del-Bem Lab, Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Jônatas S. Abrahão
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Bellanger M, Visscher P, White RA. Viral enumeration using cost-effective wet-mount epifluorescence microscopy for aquatic ecosystems and modern microbialites. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0174423. [PMID: 38014959 PMCID: PMC10734538 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01744-23] [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] [Received: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Low-cost and robust viral enumeration is a critical first step toward understanding the global virome. Our method is a deep drive integration providing a window into viral dark matter within aquatic ecosystems. We enumerated the viruses within Green Lake and Great Salt Lake microbialites, EPS, and water column. The entire weight of all the viruses in Green Lake and Great Salt Lake are ~598 g and ~2.2 kg, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline Bellanger
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, North Carolina Research Campus, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA
- Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER), The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
| | - Pieter Visscher
- Department of Marine Sciences and Geoscience, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA
| | - Richard Allen White
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, North Carolina Research Campus, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Kannapolis, North Carolina, USA
- Computational Intelligence to Predict Health and Environmental Risks (CIPHER), The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA
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15
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Khan D, Fox PL. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase interactions in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Biochem Soc Trans 2023; 51:2127-2141. [PMID: 38108455 PMCID: PMC10754286 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are ancient enzymes that serve a foundational role in the efficient and accurate translation of genetic information from messenger RNA to proteins. These proteins play critical, non-canonical functions in a multitude of cellular processes. Multiple viruses are known to hijack the functions of aaRSs for proviral outcomes, while cells modify antiviral responses through non-canonical functions of certain synthetases. Recent findings have revealed that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiological agent of coronaviral disease 19 (COVID-19), utilizes canonical and non-canonical functions of aaRSs, establishing a complex interplay of viral proteins, cellular factors and host aaRSs. In a striking example, an unconventional multi-aaRS complex consisting of glutamyl-prolyl-, lysyl-, arginyl- and methionyl-tRNA synthetases interact with a previously unknown RNA-element in the 3'-end of SARS-CoV-2 genomic and subgenomic RNAs. This review aims to highlight the aaRS-SARS-CoV-2 interactions identified to date, with possible implications for the biology of host aaRSs in SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debjit Khan
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A
| | - Paul L. Fox
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A
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16
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Talbert PB, Henikoff S, Armache KJ. Giant variations in giant virus genome packaging. Trends Biochem Sci 2023; 48:1071-1082. [PMID: 37777391 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2023.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
Giant viruses (Nucleocytoviricota) have a largely conserved lifecycle, yet how they cram their large genomes into viral capsids is mostly unknown. The major capsid protein and the packaging ATPase (pATPase) comprise a highly conserved morphogenesis module in giant viruses, yet some giant viruses dispense with an icosahedral capsid, and others encode multiple versions of pATPases, including conjoined ATPase doublets, or encode none. Some giant viruses have acquired DNA-condensing proteins to compact their genomes, including sheath-like structures encasing folded DNA or densely packed viral nucleosomes that show a resemblance to eukaryotic nucleosomes at the telomeres. Here, we review what is known and unknown about these ATPases and condensing proteins, and place these variations in the context of viral lifecycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B Talbert
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
| | - Steven Henikoff
- Basic Sciences Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Karim-Jean Armache
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
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17
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Hikida H, Okazaki Y, Zhang R, Nguyen TT, Ogata H. A rapid genome-wide analysis of isolated giant viruses using MinION sequencing. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:2621-2635. [PMID: 37543720 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
Following the discovery of Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus, diverse giant viruses have been isolated. However, only a small fraction of these isolates have been completely sequenced, limiting our understanding of the genomic diversity of giant viruses. MinION is a portable and low-cost long-read sequencer that can be readily used in a laboratory. Although MinION provides highly error-prone reads that require correction through additional short-read sequencing, recent studies assembled high-quality microbial genomes only using MinION sequencing. Here, we evaluated the accuracy of MinION-only genome assemblies for giant viruses by re-sequencing a prototype marseillevirus. Assembled genomes presented over 99.98% identity to the reference genome with a few gaps, demonstrating a high accuracy of the MinION-only assembly. As a proof of concept, we de novo assembled five newly isolated viruses. Average nucleotide identities to their closest known relatives suggest that the isolates represent new species of marseillevirus, pithovirus and mimivirus. The assembly of subsampled reads demonstrated that their taxonomy and genomic composition could be analysed at the 50× sequencing coverage. We also identified a pithovirus gene whose homologues were detected only in metagenome-derived relatives. Collectively, we propose that MinION-only assembly is an effective approach to rapidly perform a genome-wide analysis of isolated giant viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Hikida
- Bioinformatics Center, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yusuke Okazaki
- Bioinformatics Center, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ruixuan Zhang
- Bioinformatics Center, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Thi Tuyen Nguyen
- Bioinformatics Center, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Ogata
- Bioinformatics Center, Institute for Chemical Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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18
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de Aquino ILM, Barcelos MG, Machado TB, Serafim MSM, Abrahão JS. Surface fibrils on the particles of nucleocytoviruses: A review. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2023; 248:2045-2052. [PMID: 37955170 PMCID: PMC10800130 DOI: 10.1177/15353702231208410] [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: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The capsid has a central role in viruses' life cycle. Although one of its major functions is to protect the viral genome, the capsid may be composed of elements that, at some point, promote interaction with host cells and trigger infection. Considering the scenario of multiple origins of viruses along the viral evolution, a substantial number of capsid shapes, sizes, and symmetries have been described. In this context, capsids of giant viruses (GV) that infect protists have drawn the attention of the scientific community, especially in the last 20 years, specifically for having bacterial-like dimensions with hundreds of different proteins and exclusive features. For instance, the surface fibrils present on the mimivirus capsid are one of the most intriguing features of the known virosphere. They are 150-nm-long structures attached to a 450-nm capsid, resulting in a particle with a hairy appearance. Surface fibrils have also been described in the capsids of other nucleocytoviruses, although they may differ substantially among them. In this mini review for non-experts, we compile the most important available information on surface fibrils of nucleocytoviruses, discussing their putative functions, composition, length, organization, and origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Luiza Martins de Aquino
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Matheus Gomes Barcelos
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Talita Bastos Machado
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Mateus Sá Magalhães Serafim
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
| | - Jônatas Santos Abrahão
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, Brazil
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19
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Jin M, Zhang Z, Yu Z, Chen W, Wang X, Lei D, Zhang W. Structure-function analysis of an ancient TsaD-TsaC-SUA5-TcdA modular enzyme reveals a prototype of tRNA t6A and ct6A synthetases. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:8711-8729. [PMID: 37427786 PMCID: PMC10484737 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad587] [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: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
N 6-threonylcarbamoyladenosine (t6A) is a post-transcriptional modification found uniquely at position 37 of tRNAs that decipher ANN-codons in the three domains of life. tRNA t6A plays a pivotal role in promoting translational fidelity and maintaining protein homeostasis. The biosynthesis of tRNA t6A requires members from two evolutionarily conserved protein families TsaC/Sua5 and TsaD/Kae1/Qri7, and a varying number of auxiliary proteins. Furthermore, tRNA t6A is modified into a cyclic hydantoin form of t6A (ct6A) by TcdA in bacteria. In this work, we have identified a TsaD-TsaC-SUA5-TcdA modular protein (TsaN) from Pandoraviruses and determined a 3.2 Å resolution cryo-EM structure of P. salinus TsaN. The four domains of TsaN share strong structural similarities with TsaD/Kae1/Qri7 proteins, TsaC/Sua5 proteins, and Escherichia coli TcdA. TsaN catalyzes the formation of threonylcarbamoyladenylate (TC-AMP) using L-threonine, HCO3- and ATP, but does not participate further in tRNA t6A biosynthesis. We report for the first time that TsaN catalyzes a tRNA-independent threonylcarbamoyl modification of adenosine phosphates, leading to t6ADP and t6ATP. Moreover, TsaN is also active in catalyzing tRNA-independent conversion of t6A nucleoside to ct6A. Our results imply that TsaN from Pandoraviruses might be a prototype of the tRNA t6A- and ct6A-modifying enzymes in some cellular organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengqi Jin
- School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptation of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Zelin Zhang
- Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of the Ministry of Education, Electron Microscopy Centre of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Zhijiang Yu
- School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptation of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Wei Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptation of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Xiaolei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Dongsheng Lei
- Key Laboratory for Magnetism and Magnetic Materials of the Ministry of Education, Electron Microscopy Centre of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Wenhua Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptation of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
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20
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Moniruzzaman M, Erazo Garcia MP, Farzad R, Ha AD, Jivaji A, Karki S, Sheyn U, Stanton J, Minch B, Stephens D, Hancks DC, Rodrigues RAL, Abrahao JS, Vardi A, Aylward FO. Virologs, viral mimicry, and virocell metabolism: the expanding scale of cellular functions encoded in the complex genomes of giant viruses. FEMS Microbiol Rev 2023; 47:fuad053. [PMID: 37740576 PMCID: PMC10583209 DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuad053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The phylum Nucleocytoviricota includes the largest and most complex viruses known. These "giant viruses" have a long evolutionary history that dates back to the early diversification of eukaryotes, and over time they have evolved elaborate strategies for manipulating the physiology of their hosts during infection. One of the most captivating of these mechanisms involves the use of genes acquired from the host-referred to here as viral homologs or "virologs"-as a means of promoting viral propagation. The best-known examples of these are involved in mimicry, in which viral machinery "imitates" immunomodulatory elements in the vertebrate defense system. But recent findings have highlighted a vast and rapidly expanding array of other virologs that include many genes not typically found in viruses, such as those involved in translation, central carbon metabolism, cytoskeletal structure, nutrient transport, vesicular trafficking, and light harvesting. Unraveling the roles of virologs during infection as well as the evolutionary pathways through which complex functional repertoires are acquired by viruses are important frontiers at the forefront of giant virus research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Moniruzzaman
- Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33149, United States
| | - Maria Paula Erazo Garcia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Roxanna Farzad
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Anh D Ha
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Abdeali Jivaji
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Sangita Karki
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Uri Sheyn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Joshua Stanton
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
| | - Benjamin Minch
- Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33149, United States
| | - Danae Stephens
- Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33149, United States
| | - Dustin C Hancks
- Department of Immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 6000 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Rodrigo A L Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
| | - Jonatas S Abrahao
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, Brazil
| | - Assaf Vardi
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Frank O Aylward
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Infectious Disease, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United States
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21
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Gaïa M, Forterre P. From Mimivirus to Mirusvirus: The Quest for Hidden Giants. Viruses 2023; 15:1758. [PMID: 37632100 PMCID: PMC10458455 DOI: 10.3390/v15081758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Our perception of viruses has been drastically evolving since the inception of the field of virology over a century ago. In particular, the discovery of giant viruses from the Nucleocytoviricota phylum marked a pivotal moment. Their previously concealed diversity and abundance unearthed an unprecedented complexity in the virus world, a complexity that called for new definitions and concepts. These giant viruses underscore the intricate interactions that unfold over time between viruses and their hosts, and are themselves suspected to have played a significant role as a driving force in the evolution of eukaryotes since the dawn of this cellular domain. Whether they possess exceptional relationships with their hosts or whether they unveil the actual depths of evolutionary connections between viruses and cells otherwise hidden in smaller viruses, the attraction giant viruses exert on the scientific community and beyond continues to grow. Yet, they still hold surprises. Indeed, the recent identification of mirusviruses connects giant viruses to herpesviruses, each belonging to distinct viral realms. This discovery substantially broadens the evolutionary landscape of Nucleocytoviricota. Undoubtedly, the years to come will reveal their share of surprises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan Gaïa
- Génomique Métabolique, Genoscope, Institut François Jacob, CEA, CNRS, Univ. Evry, Université Paris-Saclay, 91000 Evry, France
- Research Federation for the Study of Global Ocean Systems Ecology and Evolution, FR2022/Tara GOSEE, 75012 Paris, France
| | - Patrick Forterre
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule (I2BC), CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
- Département de Microbiologie, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
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22
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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.
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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
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23
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Queiroz VF, Carvalho JVRP, de Souza FG, Lima MT, Santos JD, Rocha KLS, de Oliveira DB, Araújo JP, Ullmann LS, Rodrigues RAL, Abrahão JS. Analysis of the Genomic Features and Evolutionary History of Pithovirus-Like Isolates Reveals Two Major Divergent Groups of Viruses. J Virol 2023; 97:e0041123. [PMID: 37395647 PMCID: PMC10373538 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00411-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
New representatives of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota have been rapidly described in the last decade. Despite this, not all viruses of this phylum are allocated to recognized taxonomic families, as is the case for orpheovirus, pithovirus, and cedratvirus, which form the proposed family Pithoviridae. In this study, we performed comprehensive comparative genomic analyses of 8 pithovirus-like isolates, aiming to understand their common traits and evolutionary history. Structural and functional genome annotation was performed de novo for all the viruses, which served as a reference for pangenome construction. The synteny analysis showed substantial differences in genome organization between these viruses, with very few and short syntenic blocks shared between orpheovirus and its relatives. It was possible to observe an open pangenome with a significant increase in the slope when orpheovirus was added, alongside a decrease in the core genome. Network analysis placed orpheovirus as a distant and major hub with a large fraction of unique clusters of orthologs, indicating a distant relationship between this virus and its relatives, with only a few shared genes. Additionally, phylogenetic analyses of strict core genes shared with other viruses of the phylum reinforced the divergence of orpheovirus from pithoviruses and cedratviruses. Altogether, our results indicate that although pithovirus-like isolates share common features, this group of ovoid-shaped giant viruses presents substantial differences in gene contents, genomic architectures, and the phylogenetic history of several core genes. Our data indicate that orpheovirus is an evolutionarily divergent viral entity, suggesting its allocation to a different viral family, Orpheoviridae. IMPORTANCE Giant viruses that infect amoebae form a monophyletic group named the phylum Nucleocytoviricota. Despite being genomically and morphologically very diverse, the taxonomic categories of some clades that form this phylum are not yet well established. With advances in isolation techniques, the speed at which new giant viruses are described has increased, escalating the need to establish criteria to define the emerging viral taxa. In this work, we performed a comparative genomic analysis of representatives of the putative family Pithoviridae. Based on the dissimilarity of orpheovirus from the other viruses of this putative family, we propose that orpheovirus be considered a member of an independent family, Orpheoviridae, and suggest criteria to demarcate families consisting of ovoid-shaped giant viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victória F. Queiroz
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - João Victor R. P. Carvalho
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Fernanda G. de Souza
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Maurício T. Lima
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Juliane D. Santos
- Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Programa de pós graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Kamila L. S. Rocha
- Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Programa de pós graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Danilo B. de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Programa de pós graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - João Pessoa Araújo
- Laboratório de Virologia, Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Leila Sabrina Ullmann
- Laboratório de Virologia, Departamento de Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil
- Laboratório de Virologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo A. L. Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jônatas S. Abrahão
- Laboratório de Vírus, Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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24
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Barreat JGN, Katzourakis A. A billion years arms-race between viruses, virophages, and eukaryotes. eLife 2023; 12:RP86617. [PMID: 37358563 DOI: 10.7554/elife.86617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Bamfordviruses are arguably the most diverse group of viruses infecting eukaryotes. They include the Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA viruses (NCLDVs), virophages, adenoviruses, Mavericks and Polinton-like viruses. Two main hypotheses for their origins have been proposed: the 'nuclear-escape' and 'virophage-first' hypotheses. The nuclear-escape hypothesis proposes an endogenous, Maverick-like ancestor which escaped from the nucleus and gave rise to adenoviruses and NCLDVs. In contrast, the virophage-first hypothesis proposes that NCLDVs coevolved with protovirophages; Mavericks then evolved from virophages that became endogenous, with adenoviruses escaping from the nucleus at a later stage. Here, we test the predictions made by both models and consider alternative evolutionary scenarios. We use a data set of the four core virion proteins sampled across the diversity of the lineage, together with Bayesian and maximum-likelihood hypothesis-testing methods, and estimate rooted phylogenies. We find strong evidence that adenoviruses and NCLDVs are not sister groups, and that Mavericks and Mavirus acquired the rve-integrase independently. We also found strong support for a monophyletic group of virophages (family Lavidaviridae) and a most likely root placed between virophages and the other lineages. Our observations support alternatives to the nuclear-escape scenario and a billion years evolutionary arms-race between virophages and NCLDVs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aris Katzourakis
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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25
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Jung SW, Kim KE, Kim HJ, Lee TK. Metavirome Profiling and Dynamics of the DNA Viral Community in Seawater in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia. Viruses 2023; 15:1293. [PMID: 37376592 DOI: 10.3390/v15061293] [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: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite their abundance and ecological importance, little is known about the diversity of marine viruses, in part because most cannot be cultured in the laboratory. Here, we used high-throughput viral metagenomics of uncultivated viruses to investigate the dynamics of DNA viruses in tropical seawater sampled from Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia, in March, June, and December 2014. Among the identified viruses, 71-79% were bacteriophages belonging to the families Myoviridae, Siphoviridae, and Podoviridae (Caudoviriales), listed in order of abundance at all sampling times. Although the measured environmental factors (temperature, salinity, and pH) remained unchanged in the seawater over time, viral dynamics changed. The proportion of cyanophages (34.7%) was highest in June, whereas the proportion of mimiviruses, phycodnaviruses, and other nucleo-cytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs) was higher in March and December. Although host species were not analysed, the dramatic viral community change observed in June was likely due to changes in the abundance of cyanophage-infected cyanobacteria, whereas that in NCLDVs was likely due to the abundance of potential eukaryote-infected hosts. These results serve as a basis for comparative analyses of other marine viral communities, and guide policy-making when considering marine life care in Chuuk State.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung Won Jung
- Library of Marine Samples, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Geoje 53201, Republic of Korea
- Department of Ocean Science, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Kang Eun Kim
- Library of Marine Samples, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Geoje 53201, Republic of Korea
- Department of Ocean Science, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Jung Kim
- Library of Marine Samples, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Geoje 53201, Republic of Korea
| | - Taek-Kyun Lee
- Department of Ocean Science, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
- Risk Assessment Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Geoje 53201, Republic of Korea
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26
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Coy SR, Utama B, Spurlin JW, Kim JG, Deshmukh H, Lwigale P, Nagasaki K, Correa AMS. Visualization of RNA virus infection in a marine protist with a universal biomarker. Sci Rep 2023; 13:5813. [PMID: 37037845 PMCID: PMC10086069 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31507-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Half of the marine virosphere is hypothesized to be RNA viruses (kingdom Orthornavirae) that infect abundant micro-eukaryotic hosts (e.g. protists). To test this, quantitative approaches that broadly track infections in situ are needed. Here, we describe a technique-dsRNA-Immunofluorescence (dsRIF)-that uses a double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) targeting monoclonal antibody to assess host infection status based on the presence of dsRNA, a replicative intermediate of all Orthornavirae infections. We show that the dinoflagellate Heterocapsa circularisquama produces dsRIF signal ~ 1000 times above background autofluorescence when infected by the + ssRNA virus HcRNAV. dsRNA-positive virocells were detected across > 50% of the 48-h infection cycle and accumulated to represent at least 63% of the population. Photosynthetic and chromosomal integrity remained intact during peak replication, indicating HcRNAV infection does not interrupt these processes. This work validates the use of dsRIF on marine RNA viruses and their hosts, setting the stage for quantitative environmental applications that will accelerate understanding of virus-driven ecosystem impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha R Coy
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA.
- Department of Oceanography, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
| | - Budi Utama
- Shared Equipment Authority, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - James W Spurlin
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Julia G Kim
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Peter Lwigale
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Keizo Nagasaki
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Kochi University, Nankoku, Kochi, 783-8502, Japan
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27
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Fukaya S, Masuda L, Takemura M. Analysis of Morphological Changes in the Nucleus and Vacuoles of Acanthamoeba castellanii following Giant Virus Infection. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0418222. [PMID: 36943052 PMCID: PMC10100661 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04182-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Acanthamoeba castellanii medusavirus is a member of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota, also known as giant viruses, and has a unique strategy of infecting Acanthamoeba castellanii and replicating viral genes in the host nucleus. Here, we show time series changes in the intracellular morphology, including the nucleus, of host cells infected with four types of giant viruses, including medusavirus, using time-lapse phase-contrast microscopy and image analysis. We updated our phase-contrast-based kinetic analysis algorithm for amoebae (PKA3) to use multiple microscopic images with different focus positions to allow a more detailed analysis of their intracellular structures. Image analysis using PKA3 revealed that as medusavirus infection progressed, the host nucleus increased in size and the number of vacuoles decreased. In addition, infected host cells are known to become smaller and rounder at later stages of infection, but here they were found to be larger than uninfected cells at earlier stages. These results suggested that the propagation mechanism of medusavirus includes the formation of empty virus particles in the host cytoplasm, packaging of the viral genome replicated in the host nucleus, and then the release of viral particles. IMPORTANCE In this study, we quantitatively revealed how long the increase in host cell size or the increase in host nucleus size occurs after infection with giant viruses, especially medusavirus. To understand the underlying mechanism, we performed image analysis and determined that the host cell size increased at approximately 6 h postinfection (hpi) and the host nucleus enlarged at approximately 22 hpi, pointing to the importance of biochemical experiments. In addition, we showed that the intracellular structures could be quantitatively analyzed using multiple phase-contrast microscopy images with different focus positions at the same time point. Hence, morphological analyses of intracellular structures using phase-contrast microscopy, which have wide applications in live-cell observations, may be useful in studying various organisms that infect or are symbiotic with A. castellanii.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sho Fukaya
- Department of Applied Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Suwa University of Science, Chino, Nagano, Japan
- Laboratory of Biology, Institute of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Lisa Masuda
- Laboratory of Biology, Graduate School of Mathematics and Science Education, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masaharu Takemura
- Laboratory of Biology, Institute of Arts and Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
- Laboratory of Biology, Graduate School of Mathematics and Science Education, Tokyo University of Science, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan
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28
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Alempic JM, Lartigue A, Goncharov AE, Grosse G, Strauss J, Tikhonov AN, Fedorov AN, Poirot O, Legendre M, Santini S, Abergel C, Claverie JM. An Update on Eukaryotic Viruses Revived from Ancient Permafrost. Viruses 2023; 15:v15020564. [PMID: 36851778 PMCID: PMC9958942 DOI: 10.3390/v15020564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
One quarter of the Northern hemisphere is underlain by permanently frozen ground, referred to as permafrost. Due to climate warming, irreversibly thawing permafrost is releasing organic matter frozen for up to a million years, most of which decomposes into carbon dioxide and methane, further enhancing the greenhouse effect. Part of this organic matter also consists of revived cellular microbes (prokaryotes, unicellular eukaryotes) as well as viruses that have remained dormant since prehistorical times. While the literature abounds on descriptions of the rich and diverse prokaryotic microbiomes found in permafrost, no additional report about "live" viruses have been published since the two original studies describing pithovirus (in 2014) and mollivirus (in 2015). This wrongly suggests that such occurrences are rare and that "zombie viruses" are not a public health threat. To restore an appreciation closer to reality, we report the preliminary characterizations of 13 new viruses isolated from seven different ancient Siberian permafrost samples, one from the Lena river and one from Kamchatka cryosol. As expected from the host specificity imposed by our protocol, these viruses belong to five different clades infecting Acanthamoeba spp. but not previously revived from permafrost: Pandoravirus, Cedratvirus, Megavirus, and Pacmanvirus, in addition to a new Pithovirus strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Marie Alempic
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Audrey Lartigue
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Artemiy E. Goncharov
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Department of Epidemiology, Parasitology and Disinfectology, Northwestern State Medical Mechnikov University, Saint Petersburg 195067, Russia
| | - Guido Grosse
- Permafrost Research Section, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Institute of Geosciences, University of Potsdam, 14478 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jens Strauss
- Permafrost Research Section, Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Alexey N. Tikhonov
- Laboratory of Theriology, Zoological Institute of Russian Academy of Science, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | | | - Olivier Poirot
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Matthieu Legendre
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Sébastien Santini
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Chantal Abergel
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
| | - Jean-Michel Claverie
- IGS, Information Génomique & Structurale (UMR7256), Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée (FR 3489), Institut Microbiologie, Bioénergies et Biotechnologie, and Institut Origines, CNRS, Aix Marseille University, 13288 Marseille, France
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +33-413-946-777
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29
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"Mamonoviridae", a proposed new family of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota. Arch Virol 2023; 168:80. [PMID: 36740641 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-022-05633-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Acanthamoeba castellanii medusavirus J1 is a giant virus that was isolated from a hot spring in Japan in 2019. Recently, a close relative of this virus, named medusavirus stheno T3, was isolated in Japan. Here, we describe their morphological, genomic, and gene content similarities and also propose to create a new family, "Mamonoviridae", a new genus, "Medusavirus", and two species, "Medusavirus medusae" and "Medusavirus sthenus", to classify these two viruses within the phylum Nucleocytoviricota.
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30
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Bisio H, Legendre M, Giry C, Philippe N, Alempic JM, Jeudy S, Abergel C. Evolution of giant pandoravirus revealed by CRISPR/Cas9. Nat Commun 2023; 14:428. [PMID: 36702819 PMCID: PMC9879987 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36145-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Giant viruses (GVs) are a hotspot of unresolved controversies since their discovery, including the definition of "Virus" and their origin. While increasing knowledge of genome diversity has accumulated, GV functional genomics was largely neglected. Here, we describe an experimental framework to genetically modify nuclear GVs and their host Acanthamoeba castellanii using CRISPR/Cas9, shedding light on the evolution from small icosahedral viruses to amphora-shaped GVs. Ablation of the icosahedral major capsid protein in the phylogenetically-related mollivirus highlights a transition in virion shape and size. We additionally demonstrate the existence of a reduced core essential genome in pandoravirus, reminiscent of their proposed smaller ancestors. This proposed genetic expansion led to increased genome robustness, indicating selective pressures for adaptation to uncertain environments. Overall, we introduce new tools for manipulation of the unexplored genome of nuclear GVs and provide experimental evidence suggesting that viral gigantism has aroused as an emerging trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Bisio
- Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Genomique & Structurale, Unite Mixte de Recherche 7256 (Institut de Microbiologie de la Mediterranee, FR3479, IM2B), 13288, Marseille, Cedex 9, France.
| | - Matthieu Legendre
- Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Genomique & Structurale, Unite Mixte de Recherche 7256 (Institut de Microbiologie de la Mediterranee, FR3479, IM2B), 13288, Marseille, Cedex 9, France
| | - Claire Giry
- Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Genomique & Structurale, Unite Mixte de Recherche 7256 (Institut de Microbiologie de la Mediterranee, FR3479, IM2B), 13288, Marseille, Cedex 9, France
| | - Nadege Philippe
- Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Genomique & Structurale, Unite Mixte de Recherche 7256 (Institut de Microbiologie de la Mediterranee, FR3479, IM2B), 13288, Marseille, Cedex 9, France
| | - Jean-Marie Alempic
- Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Genomique & Structurale, Unite Mixte de Recherche 7256 (Institut de Microbiologie de la Mediterranee, FR3479, IM2B), 13288, Marseille, Cedex 9, France
| | - Sandra Jeudy
- Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Genomique & Structurale, Unite Mixte de Recherche 7256 (Institut de Microbiologie de la Mediterranee, FR3479, IM2B), 13288, Marseille, Cedex 9, France
| | - Chantal Abergel
- Aix-Marseille University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Genomique & Structurale, Unite Mixte de Recherche 7256 (Institut de Microbiologie de la Mediterranee, FR3479, IM2B), 13288, Marseille, Cedex 9, France.
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31
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Wei C, Sun D, Yuan W, Li L, Dai C, Chen Z, Zeng X, Wang S, Zhang Y, Jiang S, Wu Z, Liu D, Jiang L, Peng S. Metagenomics revealing molecular profiles of microbial community structure and metabolic capacity in Bamucuo lake, Tibet. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 217:114847. [PMID: 36402183 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Revised: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Microorganisms play critical ecological roles in the global biogeochemical cycles. However, extensive information on the microbial communities in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), which is the highest plateau in the world, is still lacking, particularly in high elevation locations above 4500 m. Here, we performed a survey of th e soil and water microbial communities in Bamucuo Lake, Tibet, by using shotgun metagenomic methods. In the soil and water samples, we reconstructed 75 almost complete metagenomic assembly genomes, and 74 of the metagenomic assembly genomes from the water sample represented novel species. Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were found to be the dominant bacterial phyla, while Euryarchaeota was the dominant archaeal phylum. The largest virus, Pandoravirus salinus, was found in the soil microbial community. We concluded that the microorganisms in Bamucuo Lake are most likely to fix carbon mainly through the 3-hydroxypropionic bi-cycle pathway. This study, for the first time, characterized the microbial community composition and metabolic capacity in QTP high-elevation locations with 4555 m, confirming that QTP is a vast and valuable resource pool, in which many microorganisms can be used to develop new bioactive substances and new antibiotics to which pathogenic microorganisms have not yet developed resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cai Wei
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, PR China; National Pathogen Collection Center for Aquatic Animals, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, PR China
| | - Dan Sun
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, PR China; National Pathogen Collection Center for Aquatic Animals, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, PR China
| | - Wenliang Yuan
- College of Mathematics and Information Engineering, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, 314033, PR China
| | - Lei Li
- Engineering Research Center of AI & Robotics, Ministry of Education, Academy for Engineering & Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, PR China
| | - Chaoxu Dai
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, PR China; National Pathogen Collection Center for Aquatic Animals, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, PR China
| | - Zuozhou Chen
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, PR China; National Pathogen Collection Center for Aquatic Animals, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, PR China
| | - Xiaomin Zeng
- Central South University Xiangya Public Health School, Changsha, 410078, PR China
| | - Shihang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, PR China; National Pathogen Collection Center for Aquatic Animals, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, PR China
| | - Yuyang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, PR China; National Pathogen Collection Center for Aquatic Animals, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, PR China
| | - Shouwen Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, PR China; National Pathogen Collection Center for Aquatic Animals, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, PR China
| | - Zhichao Wu
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, PR China; National Pathogen Collection Center for Aquatic Animals, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, PR China
| | - Dong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, PR China; National Pathogen Collection Center for Aquatic Animals, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, PR China.
| | - Linhua Jiang
- Engineering Research Center of AI & Robotics, Ministry of Education, Academy for Engineering & Technology, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, PR China.
| | - Sihua Peng
- Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai, 201306, PR China; National Pathogen Collection Center for Aquatic Animals, Ministry of Agriculture of China, Shanghai, 201306, China; International Research Center for Marine Biosciences at Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai, 201306, PR China.
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Kim KE, Joo HM, Lee TK, Kim HJ, Kim YJ, Kim BK, Ha SY, Jung SW. Covariance of Marine Nucleocytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses with Eukaryotic Plankton Communities in the Sub-Arctic Kongsfjorden Ecosystem: A Metagenomic Analysis of Marine Microbial Ecosystems. Microorganisms 2023; 11:microorganisms11010169. [PMID: 36677461 PMCID: PMC9862967 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11010169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs) infect various marine eukaryotes. However, little is known about NCLDV diversity and their relationships with eukaryotic hosts in marine environments, the elucidation of which will advance the current understanding of marine ecosystems. This study characterizes the interplay between NCLDVs and the eukaryotic plankton community (EPC) in the sub-Arctic area using metagenomics and metabarcoding to investigate NCLDVs and EPC, respectively, in the Kongsfjorden ecosystem of Svalbard (Norway) in April and June 2018. Gyrodinium helveticum (Dinophyceae) is the most prevalent eukaryotic taxon in the EPC in April, during which time Mimiviridae (31.8%), Poxviridae (25.1%), Phycodnaviridae (14.7%) and Pandoraviridae (13.1%) predominate. However, in June, the predominant taxon is Aureococcus anophagefferens (Pelagophyceae), and the NCLDVs, Poxviridae (32.9%), Mimiviridae (29.1%), and Phycodnaviridae (18.5%) appear in higher proportions with an increase in Pelagophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, and Chlorophyta groups. Thus, differences in NCLDVs may be caused by changes in EPC composition in response to environmental changes, such as increases in water temperature and light intensity. Taken together, these findings are particularly relevant considering the anticipated impact of NCLDV-induced EPC control mechanisms on polar regions and, therefore, improve the understanding of the Sub-Arctic Kongsfjorden ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kang Eun Kim
- Library of Marine Samples, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Geoje 53201, Republic of Korea
- Department of Ocean Science, University of Science & Technology, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyoung Min Joo
- Unit of Next Generation IBRV Building Program, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of Korea
| | - Taek-Kyun Lee
- Department of Ocean Science, University of Science & Technology, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
- Risk Assessment Research Center, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Geoje 53201, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Jung Kim
- Library of Marine Samples, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Geoje 53201, Republic of Korea
| | - Yu Jin Kim
- Library of Marine Samples, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Geoje 53201, Republic of Korea
- Department of Ocean Science, University of Science & Technology, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
| | - Bo Kyung Kim
- Division of Polar Ocean Science Research, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun-Yong Ha
- Division of Polar Ocean Science Research, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of Korea
- Correspondence: (S.-Y.H.); (S.W.J.)
| | - Seung Won Jung
- Library of Marine Samples, Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology, Geoje 53201, Republic of Korea
- Department of Ocean Science, University of Science & Technology, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea
- Correspondence: (S.-Y.H.); (S.W.J.)
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33
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Giant Viruses as a Source of Novel Enzymes for Biotechnological Application. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11121453. [PMID: 36558786 PMCID: PMC9787589 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11121453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The global demand for industrial enzymes has been increasing in recent years, and the search for new sources of these biological products is intense, especially in microorganisms. Most known viruses have limited genetic machinery and, thus, have been overlooked by the enzyme industry for years. However, a peculiar group of viruses breaks this paradigm. Giant viruses of the phylum Nucleocytoviricota infect protists (i.e., algae and amoebae) and have complex genomes, reaching up to 2.7 Mb in length and encoding hundreds of genes. Different giant viruses have robust metabolic machinery, especially those in the Phycodnaviridae and Mimiviridae families. In this review, we present some peculiarities of giant viruses that infect protists and discuss why they should be seen as an outstanding source of new enzymes. We revisited the genomes of representatives of different groups of giant viruses and put together information about their enzymatic machinery, highlighting several genes to be explored in biotechnology involved in carbohydrate metabolism, DNA replication, and RNA processing, among others. Finally, we present additional evidence based on structural biology using chitinase as a model to reinforce the role of giant viruses as a source of novel enzymes for biotechnological application.
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34
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Moniruzzaman M, Erazo-Garcia MP, Aylward FO. Endogenous giant viruses contribute to intraspecies genomic variability in the model green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Virus Evol 2022; 8:veac102. [PMID: 36447475 PMCID: PMC9693826 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veac102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is a unicellular eukaryotic alga that has been studied as a model organism for decades. Despite an extensive history as a model system, phylogenetic and genetic characteristics of viruses infecting this alga have remained elusive. We analyzed high-throughput genome sequence data of C. reinhardtii field isolates, and in six we discovered sequences belonging to endogenous giant viruses that reach up to several 100 kb in length. In addition, we have also discovered the entire genome of a closely related giant virus that is endogenized within the genome of Chlamydomonas incerta, the closest sequenced relative of C. reinhardtii. Endogenous giant viruses add hundreds of new gene families to the host strains, highlighting their contribution to the pangenome dynamics and interstrain genomic variability of C. reinhardtii. Our findings suggest that the endogenization of giant viruses may have important implications for structuring the population dynamics and ecology of protists in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Moniruzzaman
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Department of Marine Biology and Ecology, Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, USA
| | - Maria P Erazo-Garcia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Frank O Aylward
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, 981 Kraft Dr, Room 2036, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
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35
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Past and present giant viruses diversity explored through permafrost metagenomics. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5853. [PMID: 36207343 PMCID: PMC9546926 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33633-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Giant viruses are abundant in aquatic environments and ecologically important through the metabolic reprogramming of their hosts. Less is known about giant viruses from soil even though two of them, belonging to two different viral families, were reactivated from 30,000-y-old permafrost samples. This suggests an untapped diversity of Nucleocytoviricota in this environment. Through permafrost metagenomics we reveal a unique diversity pattern and a high heterogeneity in the abundance of giant viruses, representing up to 12% of the sum of sequence coverage in one sample. Pithoviridae and Orpheoviridae-like viruses were the most important contributors. A complete 1.6 Mb Pithoviridae-like circular genome was also assembled from a 42,000-y-old sample. The annotation of the permafrost viral sequences revealed a patchwork of predicted functions amidst a larger reservoir of genes of unknown functions. Finally, the phylogenetic reconstructions not only revealed gene transfers between cells and viruses, but also between viruses from different families. Although giant viruses are abundant in aquatic environments, less is known about giant viruses in soil. Here, the authors use permafrost metagenomics to reveal giant virus diversity and heterogeneity, as well as gene transfers between viruses from different families.
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36
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Defensive symbiosis against giant viruses in amoebae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2205856119. [PMID: 36037367 PMCID: PMC9457554 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205856119] [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] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Protists are important regulators of microbial communities and key components in food webs with impact on nutrient cycling and ecosystem functioning. In turn, their activity is shaped by diverse intracellular parasites, including bacterial symbionts and viruses. Yet, bacteria–virus interactions within protists are poorly understood. Here, we studied the role of bacterial symbionts of free-living amoebae in the establishment of infections with nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (Nucleocytoviricota). To investigate these interactions in a system that would also be relevant in nature, we first isolated and characterized a giant virus (Viennavirus, family Marseilleviridae) and a sympatric potential Acanthamoeba host infected with bacterial symbionts. Subsequently, coinfection experiments were carried out, using the fresh environmental isolates as well as additional amoeba laboratory strains. Employing fluorescence in situ hybridization and qPCR, we show that the bacterial symbiont, identified as Parachlamydia acanthamoebae, represses the replication of the sympatric Viennavirus in both recent environmental isolates as well as Acanthamoeba laboratory strains. In the presence of the symbiont, virions are still taken up, but viral factory maturation is inhibited, leading to survival of the amoeba host. The symbiont also suppressed the replication of the more complex Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus and Tupanvirus deep ocean (Mimiviridae). Our work provides an example of an intracellular bacterial symbiont protecting a protist host against virus infections. The impact of virus–symbiont interactions on microbial population dynamics and eventually ecosystem processes requires further attention.
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Bhujbal S, Bhujbal R, Giram P. An overview: CRISPR/Cas-based gene editing for viral vaccine development. Expert Rev Vaccines 2022; 21:1581-1593. [PMID: 35959589 DOI: 10.1080/14760584.2022.2112952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION : Gene-editing technology revolutionized vaccine manufacturing and offers a variety of benefits over traditional vaccinations, such as improved immune response, higher production rate, stability, precise immunogenic activity, and fewer adverse effects. The more recently discovered Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/associated protein 9 (Cas9) system has become the most widely utilized technology based on its efficiency, utility, flexibility, versatility, ease of use, and cheaper compared to other gene-editing techniques. Considering its wider scope for genomic modification, CRISPR/Cas9-based technology's potential is explored for vaccine development. AREAS COVERED : In this review, we will address the recent advances in the CRISPR/Cas system for the development of vaccines and viral vectors for delivery. In addition, we will discuss strategies for the development of the vaccine, as well as the limitations and future prospects of the CRISPR/Cas system. EXPERT OPINION : Human and animal viruses have been exposed to antiviral CRISPR/Cas9-based engineering to prevent infection, which uses knockout, knock-in, gene activation/deactivation, RNA targeting, and editing cell lines strategies for gene editing of viruses. Because of that CRISPR/Cas system is used to boost the vaccine production yield by removing unwanted genes that cause disease or are required for viral infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santosh Bhujbal
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Sant. Tukaram Nagar Pimpri, Pune, Maharashtra (India) -411018
| | - Rushikesh Bhujbal
- Department of Quality Assurance Technique, Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Sant. Tukaram Nagar Pimpri, Pune, Maharashtra (India) -411018
| | - Prabhanjan Giram
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Dr. D. Y. Patil Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, Sant. Tukaram Nagar Pimpri, Pune, Maharashtra (India) -411018.,Department of Pharmaceutics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA- 14260-1660
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38
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Aylward FO, Moniruzzaman M. Viral Complexity. Biomolecules 2022; 12:biom12081061. [PMID: 36008955 PMCID: PMC9405923 DOI: 10.3390/biom12081061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Revised: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Although traditionally viewed as streamlined and simple, discoveries over the last century have revealed that viruses can exhibit surprisingly complex physical structures, genomic organization, ecological interactions, and evolutionary histories. Viruses can have physical dimensions and genome lengths that exceed many cellular lineages, and their infection strategies can involve a remarkable level of physiological remodeling of their host cells. Virus–virus communication and widespread forms of hyperparasitism have been shown to be common in the virosphere, demonstrating that dynamic ecological interactions often shape their success. And the evolutionary histories of viruses are often fraught with complexities, with chimeric genomes including genes derived from numerous distinct sources or evolved de novo. Here we will discuss many aspects of this viral complexity, with particular emphasis on large DNA viruses, and provide an outlook for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank O. Aylward
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Mohammad Moniruzzaman
- Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33149, USA;
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Schulz F, Abergel C, Woyke T. Giant virus biology and diversity in the era of genome-resolved metagenomics. Nat Rev Microbiol 2022; 20:721-736. [PMID: 35902763 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-022-00754-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The discovery of giant viruses, with capsids as large as some bacteria, megabase-range genomes and a variety of traits typically found only in cellular organisms, was one of the most remarkable breakthroughs in biology. Until recently, most of our knowledge of giant viruses came from ~100 species-level isolates for which genome sequences were available. However, these isolates were primarily derived from laboratory-based co-cultivation with few cultured protists and algae and, thus, did not reflect the true diversity of giant viruses. Although virus co-cultures enabled valuable insights into giant virus biology, many questions regarding their origin, evolution and ecological importance remain unanswered. With advances in sequencing technologies and bioinformatics, our understanding of giant viruses has drastically expanded. In this Review, we summarize our understanding of giant virus diversity and biology based on viral isolates as laboratory cultivation has enabled extensive insights into viral morphology and infection strategies. We then explore how cultivation-independent approaches have heightened our understanding of the coding potential and diversity of the Nucleocytoviricota. We discuss how metagenomics has revolutionized our perspective of giant viruses by revealing their distribution across our planet's biomes, where they impact the biology and ecology of a wide range of eukaryotic hosts and ultimately affect global nutrient cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederik Schulz
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| | - Chantal Abergel
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, IGS UMR7256, IMM FR3479, IM2B, IO, Marseille, France
| | - Tanja Woyke
- DOE Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA. .,University of California Merced, Merced, CA, USA.
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40
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Genome Sequences of Two New Pandoravirus Strains Isolated from Brazil and France. Microbiol Resour Announc 2022; 11:e0013122. [PMID: 35731201 PMCID: PMC9302070 DOI: 10.1128/mra.00131-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Pandoraviruses are giant viruses of amoebas with a wide range of genome sizes (1.5 to 2.5 Mbp) and 1-μm ovoid viral particles. Here, we report the isolation, genome sequencing, and annotation of two new strains from the proposed family Pandoraviridae: Pandoravirus belohorizontensis and Pandoravirus aubagnensis.
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41
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Speciale I, Notaro A, Abergel C, Lanzetta R, Lowary TL, Molinaro A, Tonetti M, Van Etten JL, De Castro C. The Astounding World of Glycans from Giant Viruses. Chem Rev 2022; 122:15717-15766. [PMID: 35820164 PMCID: PMC9614988 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Viruses are a heterogeneous ensemble of entities, all
sharing the
need for a suitable host to replicate. They are extremely diverse,
varying in morphology, size, nature, and complexity of their genomic
content. Typically, viruses use host-encoded glycosyltransferases
and glycosidases to add and remove sugar residues from their glycoproteins.
Thus, the structure of the glycans on the viral proteins have, to
date, typically been considered to mimick those of the host. However,
the more recently discovered large and giant viruses differ from this
paradigm. At least some of these viruses code for an (almost) autonomous
glycosylation pathway. These viral genes include those that encode
the production of activated sugars, glycosyltransferases, and other
enzymes able to manipulate sugars at various levels. This review focuses
on large and giant viruses that produce carbohydrate-processing enzymes.
A brief description of those harboring these features at the genomic
level will be discussed, followed by the achievements reached with
regard to the elucidation of the glycan structures, the activity of
the proteins able to manipulate sugars, and the organic synthesis
of some of these virus-encoded glycans. During this progression, we
will also comment on many of the challenging questions on this subject
that remain to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Immacolata Speciale
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Napoli, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy
| | - Anna Notaro
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Napoli, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Génomique & Structurale, Aix-Marseille University, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7256, IMM, IM2B, 13288 Marseille, Cedex 9, France
| | - Chantal Abergel
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Information Génomique & Structurale, Aix-Marseille University, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7256, IMM, IM2B, 13288 Marseille, Cedex 9, France
| | - Rosa Lanzetta
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Napoli, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Todd L Lowary
- Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Academia Road, Section 2, Nangang 11529, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Antonio Molinaro
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Napoli, Via Cintia 4, 80126 Napoli, Italy
| | - Michela Tonetti
- Department of Experimental Medicine and Center of Excellence for Biomedical Research, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy
| | - James L Van Etten
- Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0900, United States.,Department of Plant Pathology, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0722, United States
| | - Cristina De Castro
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Napoli, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy
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42
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Brahim Belhaouari D, Pires De Souza GA, Lamb DC, Kelly SL, Goldstone JV, Stegeman JJ, Colson P, La Scola B, Aherfi S. Metabolic arsenal of giant viruses: Host hijack or self-use? eLife 2022; 11:e78674. [PMID: 35801640 PMCID: PMC9270025 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Viruses generally are defined as lacking the fundamental properties of living organisms in that they do not harbor an energy metabolism system or protein synthesis machinery. However, the discovery of giant viruses of amoeba has fundamentally challenged this view because of their exceptional genome properties, particle sizes and encoding of the enzyme machinery for some steps of protein synthesis. Although giant viruses are not able to replicate autonomously and still require a host for their multiplication, numerous metabolic genes involved in energy production have been recently detected in giant virus genomes from many environments. These findings have further blurred the boundaries that separate viruses and living organisms. Herein, we summarize information concerning genes and proteins involved in cellular metabolic pathways and their orthologues that have, surprisingly, been discovered in giant viruses. The remarkable diversity of metabolic genes described in giant viruses include genes encoding enzymes involved in glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, photosynthesis, and β-oxidation. These viral genes are thought to have been acquired from diverse biological sources through lateral gene transfer early in the evolution of Nucleo-Cytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses, or in some cases more recently. It was assumed that viruses are capable of hijacking host metabolic networks. But the giant virus auxiliary metabolic genes also may represent another form of host metabolism manipulation, by expanding the catalytic capabilities of the host cells especially in harsh environments, providing the infected host cells with a selective evolutionary advantage compared to non-infected cells and hence favoring the viral replication. However, the mechanism of these genes' functionality remains unclear to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Djamal Brahim Belhaouari
- Microbes, Evolution, Phylogeny and Infection (MEPHI), UM63, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France, Aix-Marseille UniversitéMarseilleFrance
| | - Gabriel Augusto Pires De Souza
- Microbes, Evolution, Phylogeny and Infection (MEPHI), UM63, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France, Aix-Marseille UniversitéMarseilleFrance
| | - David C Lamb
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, Institute of Life Science, Swansea UniversitySwanseaUnited Kingdom
| | - Steven L Kelly
- Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, Institute of Life Science, Swansea UniversitySwanseaUnited Kingdom
| | - Jared V Goldstone
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods HoleUnited States
| | - John J Stegeman
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionWoods HoleUnited States
| | - Philippe Colson
- Microbes, Evolution, Phylogeny and Infection (MEPHI), UM63, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France, Aix-Marseille UniversitéMarseilleFrance
- Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM)MarseilleFrance
| | - Bernard La Scola
- Microbes, Evolution, Phylogeny and Infection (MEPHI), UM63, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France, Aix-Marseille UniversitéMarseilleFrance
- Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM)MarseilleFrance
| | - Sarah Aherfi
- Microbes, Evolution, Phylogeny and Infection (MEPHI), UM63, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), IHU Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France, Aix-Marseille UniversitéMarseilleFrance
- Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM)MarseilleFrance
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43
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Sun N, Zhao X, Yau SST. An efficient numerical representation of genome sequence: natural vector with covariance component. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13544. [PMID: 35729905 PMCID: PMC9206847 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The characterization and comparison of microbial sequences, including archaea, bacteria, viruses and fungi, are very important to understand their evolutionary origin and the population relationship. Most methods are limited by the sequence length and lack of generality. The purpose of this study is to propose a general characterization method, and to study the classification and phylogeny of the existing datasets. Methods We present a new alignment-free method to represent and compare biological sequences. By adding the covariance between each two nucleotides, the new 18-dimensional natural vector successfully describes 24,250 genomic sequences and 95,542 DNA barcode sequences. The new numerical representation is used to study the classification and phylogenetic relationship of microbial sequences. Results First, the classification results validate that the six-dimensional covariance vector is necessary to characterize sequences. Then, the 18-dimensional natural vector is further used to conduct the similarity relationship between giant virus and archaea, bacteria, other viruses. The nearest distance calculation results reflect that the giant viruses are closer to bacteria in distribution of four nucleotides. The phylogenetic relationships of the three representative families, Mimiviridae, Pandoraviridae and Marsellieviridae from giant viruses are analyzed. The trees show that ten sequences of Mimiviridae are clustered with Pandoraviridae, and Mimiviridae is closer to the root of the tree than Marsellieviridae. The new developed alignment-free method can be computed very fast, which provides an effective numerical representation for the sequence of microorganisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Sun
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Xin Zhao
- Beijing Electronic Science and Technology Institute, Beijing, China
| | - Stephen S.-T. Yau
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China,Yanqi Lake Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applications, Beijing, China
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44
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Queiroz VF, Rodrigues RAL, Boratto PVDM, La Scola B, Andreani J, Abrahão JS. Amoebae: Hiding in Plain Sight: Unappreciated Hosts for the Very Large Viruses. Annu Rev Virol 2022; 9:79-98. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-virology-100520-125832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
For decades, viruses have been isolated primarily from humans and other organisms. Interestingly, one of the most complex sides of the virosphere was discovered using free-living amoebae as hosts. The discovery of giant viruses in the early twenty-first century opened a new chapter in the field of virology. Giant viruses are included in the phylum Nucleocytoviricota and harbor large and complex DNA genomes (up to 2.7 Mb) encoding genes never before seen in the virosphere and presenting gigantic particles (up to 1.5 μm). Different amoebae have been used to isolate and characterize a plethora of new viruses with exciting details about novel viral biology. Through distinct isolation techniques and metagenomics, the diversity and complexity of giant viruses have astonished the scientific community. Here, we discuss the latest findings on amoeba viruses and how using these single-celled organisms as hosts has revealed entities that have remained hidden in plain sight for ages. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Virology, Volume 9 is September 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victória Fulgêncio Queiroz
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Araújo Lima Rodrigues
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | | | - Bernard La Scola
- Department of Microbes, Evolution, Phylogeny and Infection, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
| | - Julien Andreani
- Department of Microbes, Evolution, Phylogeny and Infection, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Marseille, Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille, France
- Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infection, Marseille, France
- Laboratoire de Virologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Grenoble-Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Jônatas Santos Abrahão
- Laboratório de Vírus, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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45
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Bell PJL. Eukaryogenesis: The Rise of an Emergent Superorganism. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:858064. [PMID: 35633668 PMCID: PMC9130767 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.858064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Although it is widely taught that all modern life descended via modification from a last universal common ancestor (LUCA), this dominant paradigm is yet to provide a generally accepted explanation for the chasm in design between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Counter to this dominant paradigm, the viral eukaryogenesis (VE) hypothesis proposes that the eukaryotes originated as an emergent superorganism and thus did not evolve from LUCA via descent with incremental modification. According to the VE hypothesis, the eukaryotic nucleus descends from a viral factory, the mitochondrion descends from an enslaved alpha-proteobacteria and the cytoplasm and plasma membrane descend from an archaeal host. A virus initiated the eukaryogenesis process by colonising an archaeal host to create a virocell that had its metabolism reprogrammed to support the viral factory. Subsequently, viral processes facilitated the entry of a bacterium into the archaeal cytoplasm which was also eventually reprogrammed to support the viral factory. As the viral factory increased control of the consortium, the archaeal genome was lost, the bacterial genome was greatly reduced and the viral factory eventually evolved into the nucleus. It is proposed that the interaction between these three simple components generated a superorganism whose emergent properties allowed the evolution of eukaryotic complexity. If the radical tenets of the VE hypothesis are ultimately accepted, current biological paradigms regarding viruses, cell theory, LUCA and the universal Tree of Life (ToL) should be fundamentally altered or completely abandoned.
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46
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Talbert PB, Armache KJ, Henikoff S. Viral histones: pickpocket's prize or primordial progenitor? Epigenetics Chromatin 2022; 15:21. [PMID: 35624484 PMCID: PMC9145170 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-022-00454-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The common histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4 are the characteristic components of eukaryotic nucleosomes, which function to wrap DNA and compact the genome as well as to regulate access to DNA for transcription and replication in all eukaryotes. In the past two decades, histones have also been found to be encoded in some DNA viruses, where their functions and properties are largely unknown, though recently histones from two related viruses have been shown to form nucleosome-like structures in vitro. Viral histones can be highly similar to eukaryotic histones in primary sequence, suggesting they have been recently picked up from eukaryotic hosts, or they can be radically divergent in primary sequence and may occur as conjoined histone doublets, triplets, or quadruplets, suggesting ancient origins prior to the divergence of modern eukaryotes. Here, we review what is known of viral histones and discuss their possible origins and functions. We consider how the viral life cycle may affect their properties and histories, and reflect on the possible roles of viruses in the origin of the nucleus of modern eukaryotic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B Talbert
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA
| | - Karim-Jean Armache
- Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 550 First Ave, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Steven Henikoff
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, 1100 Fairview Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA.
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47
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Machado TB, de Aquino ILM, Abrahão JS. Isolation of Giant Viruses of Acanthamoeba castellanii. Curr Protoc 2022; 2:e455. [PMID: 35612516 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
This article describes a practical method for prospecting and isolating giant viruses based on direct inoculation of environmental samples into amoeba cultures of Acanthamoeba castellanii. The giant viruses that infect amoebas have already been isolated from various environmental samples in several countries worldwide, including in extreme environments. Here we describe the methodologic procedures regarding the prospecting of giant viruses in A. castellanii, including the preparation of environmental samples, the culture of amoebas, and the observation of cytopathic effects that can indicate the presence and potential isolation of giant viruses. © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Sample collection Support Protocol: Propagation of Acanthamoeba castellanii Basic Protocol 2: Prospecting of giant viruses in environmental samples by cytopathic effect analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talita Bastos Machado
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Laboratório de Vírus, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Isabella Luiza Martins de Aquino
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Laboratório de Vírus, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Jônatas Santos Abrahão
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Microbiologia, Laboratório de Vírus, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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48
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Kennedy MA, Tyl MD, Betsinger CN, Federspiel JD, Sheng X, Arbuckle JH, Kristie TM, Cristea IM. A TRUSTED targeted mass spectrometry assay for pan-herpesvirus protein detection. Cell Rep 2022; 39:110810. [PMID: 35545036 PMCID: PMC9245836 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110810] [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: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 02/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The presence and abundance of viral proteins within host cells are part of the essential signatures of the cellular stages of viral infections. However, methods that can comprehensively detect and quantify these proteins are still limited, particularly for viruses with large protein coding capacity. Here, we design and experimentally validate a mass spectrometry-based Targeted herpesviRUS proTEin Detection (TRUSTED) assay for monitoring human viruses representing the three Herpesviridae subfamilies—herpes simplex virus type 1, human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus. We demonstrate assay applicability for (1) capturing the temporal cascades of viral replication, (2) detecting proteins throughout a range of virus concentrations and in in vivo models of infection, (3) assessing the effects of clinical therapeutic agents and sirtuin-modulating compounds, (4) studies using different laboratory and clinical viral strains, and (5) discovering a role for carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 in supporting HCMV replication. Herpesviruses encode many proteins, making it difficult to comprehensively monitor viral protein levels by traditional approaches. Kennedy et al. develop a set of targeted mass spectrometry-based assays for measuring herpesvirus protein levels spanning all virus subfamilies (α, β, and γ) and demonstrate their usefulness for a wide range of applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle A Kennedy
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Matthew D Tyl
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Cora N Betsinger
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Joel D Federspiel
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Xinlei Sheng
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Jesse H Arbuckle
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Thomas M Kristie
- Laboratory of Viral Diseases, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Ileana M Cristea
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Washington Road, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
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49
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Kalafati E, Papanikolaou E, Marinos E, Anagnou N, Pappa K. Mimiviruses: Giant viruses with novel and intriguing features (Review). Mol Med Rep 2022; 25:207. [PMID: 35506451 PMCID: PMC9133948 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2022.12723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The Mimivirus is a giant virus that infects amoebae and was long considered to be a bacterium due to its size. The viral particles are composed of a protein capsid of ~500 nm in diameter, which is enclosed in a polysaccharide layer in which ~120–140 nm long fibers are embedded, resulting in an overall diameter of 700 nm. The virus has a genome size of 1.2 Mb DNA, and surprisingly, replicates only in the cytoplasm of the infected cells without entering the nucleus, which is a unique characteristic among DNA viruses. Their existence is undeniable; however, as with any novel discovery, there is still uncertainty concerning their pathogenicity mechanisms in humans and the nature of the Mimivirus virophage resistance element system (MIMIVIRE), a term given to describe the immune network of the Mimivirus, which closely resembles the CRISPR-Cas system. The scope of the present review is to discuss the recent developments derived from structural and functional studies performed on the distinctive characteristics of the Mimivirus, and from studies concerning their putative clinical relevance in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Kalafati
- Laboratory of Cell and Gene Therapy, Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of The Academy of Athens (BRFAA), School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Eleni Papanikolaou
- Laboratory of Cell and Gene Therapy, Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of The Academy of Athens (BRFAA), School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Evangelos Marinos
- Laboratory of Biology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Nicholas Anagnou
- Laboratory of Cell and Gene Therapy, Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of The Academy of Athens (BRFAA), School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Kalliopi Pappa
- Laboratory of Cell and Gene Therapy, Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of The Academy of Athens (BRFAA), School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
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50
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Cao MM, Liu SY, Bi L, Chen SJ, Wu HY, Ge Y, Han B, Zhang LM, He JZ, Han LL. Distribution Characteristics of Soil Viruses Under Different Precipitation Gradients on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:848305. [PMID: 35464951 PMCID: PMC9022101 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.848305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Viruses are extremely abundant in the soil environment and have potential roles in impacting on microbial population, evolution, and nutrient biogeochemical cycles. However, how environment and climate changes affect soil viruses is still poorly understood. Here, a metagenomic approach was used to investigate the distribution, diversity, and potential biogeochemical impacts of DNA viruses in 12 grassland soils under three precipitation gradients on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is one of the most sensitive areas to climate change. A total of 557 viral operational taxonomic units were obtained, spanning 152 viral families from the 30 metagenomes. Both virus-like particles (VLPs) and microbial abundance increased with average annual precipitation. A significant positive correlation of VLP counts was observed with soil water content, total carbon, total nitrogen, soil organic matter, and total phosphorus. Among these biological and abiotic factors, SWC mainly contributed to the variability in VLP abundance. The order Caudovirales (70.1% of the identified viral order) was the predominant viral type in soils from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with the Siphoviridae family being the most abundant. Remarkably, abundant auxiliary carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) genes represented by glycoside hydrolases were identified, indicating that soil viruses may play a potential role in the carbon cycle on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. There were more diverse hosts and abundant CAZyme genes in soil with moderate precipitation. Our study provides a strong evidence that changes in precipitation impact not only viral abundance and virus–host interactions in soil but also the viral functional potential, especially carbon cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miao-Miao Cao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Si-Yi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,The Zhongke-Ji'an Institute for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Ji'an, China
| | - Li Bi
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Shu-Jun Chen
- Information Technology Center, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Hua-Yong Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuan Ge
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Han
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Li-Mei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ji-Zheng He
- Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.,Key Laboratory for Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Processes of the Ministry of Education, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Li-Li Han
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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