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Items tagged with: viruses
Very nice study from Henshaw et al shows that #marine heterotrophic bacteria can sense and move towards cyanobacteria when the latter are infected with #viruses.
Presumably the signatures of early infection are a sign that nutrients from a lysed cell will be available soon.
This is a nice study that has implications for understanding the role of viruses in the #ocean.
Article here:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01843-2
And we wrote a commentary here:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01867-8
Metabolites from intact phage-infected Synechococcus chemotactically attract heterotrophic marine bacteria - Nature Microbiology
The authors use time-resolved metabolomics and microfluidics to characterize enhanced heterotroph chemoattraction to metabolites released from cyanobacteria during early stages of phage infection.Nature
Metabolites from intact phage-infected Synechococcus chemotactically attract heterotrophic marine bacteria
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01843-2
Metabolites from intact phage-infected Synechococcus chemotactically attract heterotrophic marine bacteria - Nature Microbiology
The authors use time-resolved metabolomics and microfluidics to characterize enhanced heterotroph chemoattraction to metabolites released from cyanobacteria during early stages of phage infection.Nature
New #ISEPpapers #preprint! Viral infection to the raphidophycean alga #Heterosigma akashiwo affects both intracellular organic matter composition and dynamics of a coastal prokaryotic community https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.10.07.616994v1
#protists #algae #viruses #microbes #biology
Viral infection to the raphidophycean alga Heterosigma akashiwo affects both intracellular organic matter composition and dynamics of a coastal prokaryotic community
Marine microalgae play a crucial role in marine ecosystem by supplying dissolved organic matter to heterotrophic prokaryotes, which mediate the microbial loop.bioRxiv
Hunting down giant viruses that attack tiny algae
https://phys.org/news/2024-09-giant-viruses-tiny-algae.html
Hunting down giant viruses that attack tiny algae
They were said to come from outer space, and there were even claims that they were actually bacteria and that they undermined the very definition of viruses.Weizmann Institute of Science (Phys.org)
We found a really big active endogenous virus
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.09.03.611062v1
Latent infection of an active giant endogenous virus in a unicellular green alga
Latency is a common strategy in a wide range of viral lineages, but its prevalence in giant viruses remains unknown.bioRxiv
The diel disconnect between cell growth and division in Aureococcus is interrupted by giant virus infection
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2024.1426193/full
Frontiers | The diel disconnect between cell growth and division in Aureococcus is interrupted by giant virus infection
Viruses of eukaryotic algae have become an important research focus due to their role(s) in nutrient cycling and top-down control of algal blooms. Omics-base...Frontiers
Genomic analyses of Symbiomonas scintillans show no evidence for endosymbiotic bacteria but does reveal the presence of giant viruses
Author summary Endosymbiotic bacteria are found in a wide variety of hosts across the tree of eukaryotes and have been proposed to be evolutionarily and ecologically significant, but in most cases, we know little to nothing about them.journals.plos.org
How Viruses Shape Microbial Plankton Microdiversity
The virus, called #H5N1, has infected #cows in at least 36 #herds in nine states, raising fears that #milk could be infectious — concerns now largely put to rest — and highlighting the risk that many #viruses might jump across species on crowded #farms.
A #genetic analysis sheds light on when the #outbreak began, how the virus spread and where it may be going.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/03/health/bird-flu-cows-mutations.html
https://archive.ph/8sQTX
Giant viral signatures on the Greenland ice sheet
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-024-01796-y
Giant viral signatures on the Greenland ice sheet - Microbiome
Background Dark pigmented snow and glacier ice algae on glaciers and ice sheets contribute to accelerating melt. The biological controls on these algae, particularly the role of viruses, remain poorly understood.BioMed Central
Widespread occurrence and diverse origins of polintoviruses influence lineage-specific genome dynamics in stony corals
https://academic.oup.com/ve/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ve/veae039/7670984
#viruses #coral #evolution #genomics
Widespread occurrence and diverse origins of polintoviruses influence lineage-specific genome dynamics in stony corals
Abstract:. Stony corals (Order Scleractinia) are central to vital marine habitats known as coral reefs. Numerous stressors in the Anthropocene are contribuStephens, Danae (Oxford University Press)
Globally occurring pelagiphage infections create ribosome-deprived cells
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-48172-w
Globally occurring pelagiphage infections create ribosome-deprived cells - Nature Communications
SAR11 bacteria and their phages are abundant in the oceans. Here the authors quantify the number of phage-infected SAR11 cells using microscopy techniques and discover phage-infected cells without any detectable ribosomes.Nature
"A retroviral link to vertebrate myelination through retrotransposon-RNA-mediated control of myelin gene expression"
https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(24)00013-8
I have great exaptations for this article
A giant virus infecting the amoeboflagellate Naegleria
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-47308-2
#viruses #giantViruses #microbiology
A giant virus infecting the amoeboflagellate Naegleria - Nature Communications
This is the first report on a virus infecting the amoeboflagellate Naegleria, including the lethal human pathogen N. fowleri.Nature
Happy to share the latest manuscript from our lab, in which we propose that eukaryotes evolved from a genomic chimera of Asgard archaea and giant viruses.
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.04.22.590592v1
This is a controversial topic, but we believe we have strong evidence to suggest a critical viral role in eukaryogenesis.
#viruses #protists #eukaryotes #evolution #TreeOfLIfe #archaea
Chimeric Origin of Eukaryotes from Asgard Archaea and Ancestral Giant Viruses
The details surrounding the evolution of complex cells remain some of the most enduring mysteries in biology.bioRxiv
Hot springs viruses at Yellowstone National Park have ancient origins and are adapted to thermophilic hosts
https://www.nature.com/articles/s42003-024-05931-1
#viruses #virology #extremophiles
Hot springs viruses at Yellowstone National Park have ancient origins and are adapted to thermophilic hosts - Communications Biology
Analysis of the virus community associated with red algal mats in Yellowstone National Park shows it to be dominated by Megaviricetes, with resident virus lineages being of ancient origin and encoding genomic footprints of adaptation to thermophily.Nature
Viruses Finally Reveal Their Complex Social Life
https://www.quantamagazine.org/viruses-finally-reveal-their-complex-social-life-20240411/ by @Carl_Zimmer
Open questions in the social lives of viruses https://academic.oup.com/jeb/article/36/11/1551/7577264
"New research has uncovered a social world of #viruses full of cheating, cooperation and other intrigues, suggesting that viruses make sense only as members of a community."
Open questions in the social lives of viruses
Abstract. Social interactions among viruses occur whenever multiple viral genomes infect the same cells, hosts, or populations of hosts. Viral social interLeeks, Asher (Oxford University Press)
Who are giant viruses infecting in the ocean?
In a collaborative paper with the Vardi lab, we were able to link many giant virus lineages to protist hosts using #SingleCell #RNASeq. One #protist host (leucocryptos) made up less than 1% of the community, but we could still identify a cryptic viral lineage infecting it, leading to population collapse.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01669-y
#marine #viruses #microbiology
Single-cell RNA-seq of the rare virosphere reveals the native hosts of giant viruses in the marine environment - Nature Microbiology
Active infections of giant viruses in their marine protists hosts are tracked at single-cell resolution, showing that, despite being rare, these viruses still impact microbial population dynamics.Nature
Our latest commentary about a cool recent paper on virophage-mediated defense against giant #viruses!
March of the proviruses
Nice paper examining virophage-mediated antiviral defense in protists!
Endogenous virophages are active and mitigate giant virus infection in the marine protist Cafeteria burkhardae
The Simons Foundation has amazing #postdoc #fellowships for anyone interested in #marine microbial #ecology or #evolution.
I'd love to sponsor anyone interested in viral diversity!
Please spread the word!
Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Marine Microbial Ecology | Simons Foundation
The Simons Foundation invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships to support candidates who intend to pursue a career in basic research on fundamental problems in marine microbial ecology, with an emphasis on understanding the role of microorga…Simons Foundation
Large language models improve annotation of prokaryotic viral proteins
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-023-01584-8
#virology #viruses #bioinformatics #genomics
Large language models improve annotation of prokaryotic viral proteins - Nature Microbiology
Ocean viral proteome annotations are expanded by a machine learning approach that is not reliant on sequence homology and can annotate sequences not homologous to those seen in training.Nature
Another interesting study suggesting that giant viruses can control phototaxis in their hosts during infection
"Hijacking of internal calcium dynamics by intracellularly residing viral rhodopsins"
"... we show here that light irradiation reversibly modified tail movements of OLPVR1-expressing frog tadpoles."
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-44548-6
#viruses #GiantViruses #virology
Hijacking of internal calcium dynamics by intracellularly residing viral rhodopsins - Nature Communications
Rhodopsins are ubiquitous light-driven membrane proteins that have diverse functions in nature, and value as optogenetics tools.Nature
Daily turnover of active giant virus infection during algal blooms revealed by single-cell transcriptomics
"A consistent percent of infected coccolithophores displayed the early phase of viral replication for several consecutive days, indicating a daily turnover and continuous virocell-associated metabolite production, potentially affecting the surrounding microbiome"
#Viruses of #Plankton: On the Edge of the Viral Frontier
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/1/31
Viruses of Plankton: On the Edge of the Viral Frontier
The field of aquatic viral ecology has continued to evolve rapidly over the last three decades [...]MDPI
Gene duplication as a major force driving the genome expansion in some giant viruses
Contrasting drivers of abundant phage and prokaryotic communities revealed in diverse coastal ecosystems
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43705-023-00333-6
#marine #viruses #phages #ocean #microbiology #virology
Contrasting drivers of abundant phage and prokaryotic communities revealed in diverse coastal ecosystems - ISME Communications
ISME Communications - Contrasting drivers of abundant phage and prokaryotic communities revealed in diverse coastal ecosystemsNature
Kratosvirus quantuckense: the history and novelty of an algal bloom disrupting virus and a model for giant virus research
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1284617
#viruses #marine #ocean #HAB #GiantViruses
Kratosvirus quantuckense: the history and novelty of an algal bloom disrupting virus and a model for giant virus research
Since the discovery of the first “giant virus,” particular attention has been paid toward isolating and culturing these large DNA viruses through Acanthamoeba spp. bait systems.Frontiers
Ongoing shuffling of protein fragments diversifies core viral functions linked to interactions with bacterial hosts
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-43236-9
#phages #viruses #evolution #genomics
Ongoing shuffling of protein fragments diversifies core viral functions linked to interactions with bacterial hosts - Nature Communications
Proteins are composed of distinct functional domains, each serving a specific role. Here, Smug et al. show that phages are able to shuffle fragments of their proteins and this predominantly occurs in proteins involved in bacterial host interactions.Nature
New #ISEPpapers! The #protist #Aurantiochytrium has universal subtelomeric rDNAs and is a host for #mirusviruses: Jackie Collier et al. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)01368-4
#protists #microbes #protistology #microbiology #viruses #virology #genomics
PhD position in viral evolution and diversity @foaylward
Virginia Tech
Funded PhD positions in the Aylward Lab to study the #evolution and #genomics of giant #viruses. Both computational and wet-lab projects available.
See the full job description on jobRxiv: https://jobrxiv.org/job/virginia-tech-27778-funded-phd-position/?feed_id=64662
#ScienceJobs #hiring #research
Blacksburg #UnitedStatesUS ...
https://jobrxiv.org/job/virginia-tech-27778-funded-phd-position/?feed_id=64662
PhD position in viral evolution and diversity
Post a job in 3min, or find thousands of job offers like this one at jobRxiv!jobRxiv
Marine #microorganisms are crucial for #ocean health.
#Bacteria, #archaea, #fungi, #algae and #viruses make up most of the biomass in the seas and form the base of marine food webs.
They support nutrient cycling and drive crucial biogeochemical processes, including key steps in the carbon, nitrogen and silicon cycles.
Ocean modelling must evolve to take their biological complexity into account.
#biology #ecology #oceans
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-03425-4
‘Oceans are hugely complex’: modelling marine microbes is key to climate forecasts
Microorganisms are the engines that drive most marine processes. Ocean modelling must evolve to take their biological complexity into account.Tagliabue, Alessandro
Latest taxonomic update for giant viruses, including a new name for the famous mimivirus (now Mimivirus bradfordmassiliense)
Taxonomy for the titans of the virosphere!
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00705-023-05906-3
#GiantViruses #viruses #virology
Taxonomic update for giant viruses in the order Imitervirales (phylum Nucleocytoviricota) - Archives of Virology
Large DNA viruses in the phylum Nucleocytoviricota, sometimes referred to as “giant viruses” owing to their large genomes and virions, have been the subject of burgeoning interest over the last decade.SpringerLink
Vampire viruses prey on other #viruses to replicate themselves
A virus that latches onto the neck of another virus
Vampire viruses prey on other viruses to replicate themselves − and may hold the key to new antiviral therapies
Researchers discovered a satellite virus latching onto the neck of another virus called MindFlayer. Studying the viral arms race between similar viruses could lead to new ways to fight infections.The Conversation
Phylogenetic diversity and functional potential of large and cell-associated #viruses in the Bay of Bengal
Nice work from @scubalaina @giant_virus et al!
#GiantViruses encode many strange genes in their genomes - partial TCA cycles, actins and myosins, nutrient transporters, etc
What are they doing with all of these crazy genes?
We discuss this in a recent article - big thanks to all of the collaborators who were willing to help write an extensive review!
Virologs, viral mimicry, and #virocell metabolism: the expanding scale of cellular functions encoded in the complex genomes of giant #viruses
https://academic.oup.com/femsre/article/47/5/fuad053/7280998?login=false
Long-read-based genome assembly reveals numerous endogenous viral elements in the green algal bacterivore Cymbomonas tetramitiformis
Abstract. The marine tetraflagellate Cymbomonas tetramitiformis has drawn attention as an early diverging green alga that uses a phago-mixotrophic mode of nutriGyaltshen, Yangtsho (Oxford University Press)
Lessons from Chloroviruses: the Complex and Diverse Roles of Viruses in Food Webs
Virophages are viruses that infect giant viruses, typically resulting in a lower burst size for the giant virus. In our latest preprint we report virophage-like sequences associated with insect poxviruses.
Their genomes of these elements are really interesting. This also opens up the possibility that hyperparasitic viruses are associated with a much broader range of DNA viruses than is commonly thought.
https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.16.562556
#viruses #virology #poxviruses #GiantViruses
Polinton-like Viruses Associated with Entomopoxviruses Provide Insight into Replicon Evolution
Polinton-like viruses (PLVs) are a diverse group of small integrative dsDNA viruses that infect diverse eukaryotic hosts. Many PLVs are hypothesized to parasitize viruses in the phylum Nucleocytoviricota for their own propagation and spread.bioRxiv