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

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!

https://www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/simons-postdoctoral-fellowships-in-marine-microbial-ecology/?mc_cid=3818457af5&mc_eid=0969502559

#viruses #microbiology

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}

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"

https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/sciadv.adf7971

#viruses #algae #HAB #ocean #marine #virology

Happy to share our latest paper, in which we examined the timing at which different microbial groups colonized the ocean!

The first author (Carolina Martinez) is starting her lab at UC Santa Barbara in 2024 and is looking to recruit postdocs and PhD students, so if this looks interesting to you, please reach out to her!

A timeline of bacterial and archaeal diversification in the ocean

https://elifesciences.org/articles/88268

#microbiology #ocean #marine #evolution

A timeline of bacterial and archaeal diversification in the ocean

Phylogenomics reveals the timeline over which marine bacteria and archaea colonized the oceans and shows the geological context of their diversification.

^{Carolina A Martinez-Gutierrez (eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd)}

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 ecosystems

^Nature

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

Nice #oceanography study on particles and #carbon export

Planktonic #microbial signatures of sinking particle export in the open ocean’s interior

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42909-9

#marine #microbiology

Planktonic microbial signatures of sinking particle export in the open ocean’s interior - Nature Communications

Sinking of organic particles to the deep seafloor is fundamental to ocean carbon cycling. Here, the authors investigate prokaryotic communities in sinking and suspended particles, identifying depth-specific signatures of particle export and carbon cy…

^Nature

Phylogenetic diversity and functional potential of large and cell-associated #viruses in the Bay of Bengal

Nice work from @scubalaina @giant_virus et al!

https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/msphere.00407-23

#marine #oceanography #virology

Nice study on polar giant viruses!

Genomic adaptation of giant viruses in polar oceans

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41910-6

#viruses #GiantViruses #virology #oceanography #marine #ocean #polar

Genomic adaptation of giant viruses in polar oceans - Nature Communications

This study examines the biogeography and functional gene repertoires of marine eukaryote-infecting large and giant DNA viruses.

^Nature

Top abundant deep ocean heterotrophic bacteria can be retrieved by cultivation

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43705-023-00290-0

#microbiology #marine #ocean #DeepBiosphere

Top abundant deep ocean heterotrophic bacteria can be retrieved by cultivation - ISME Communications

ISME Communications - Top abundant deep ocean heterotrophic bacteria can be retrieved by cultivation

^Nature

Phylogenetic diversity and functional potential of large and cell-associated viruses in the Bay of Bengal

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.07.17.548743v1

#viruses #ecology #marine #ocean #giantViruses

Phylogenetic diversity and functional potential of large and cell-associated viruses in the Bay of Bengal

The Bay of Bengal (BoB), the largest bay in the world, provides valuable ecosystem services such as fishing and recreation to millions of people living along its coast and has a significant economic value.

^bioRxiv

Happy to share a collaborative preprint with Assaf Vardi's group in which we use single cell transcriptomics to link giant viruses with their native hosts during a marine algal bloom!

This approach is quite sensitive - we were able to identify viruses infecting one protist group that made up <0.5% of the community.

Homing in on the rare virosphere reveals the native host of giant viruses

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.06.27.546645v1

#viruses #giantViruses #ocean #marine

Homing in on the rare virosphere reveals the native host of giant viruses

Giant viruses (phylum Nucleocytoviricota) are globally distributed in aquatic ecosystems They play major roles as evolutionary drivers of eukaryotic plankton and regulators of global biogeochemical cycles.

^bioRxiv

My first "reviewed preprint" on @eLife !

A Timeline of Bacterial and Archaeal Diversification in the Ocean

https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-preprints/88268

Lots of hard work from former PhD student in my lab Carolina Martinez. Part of a collaboration with @pseudacris

We are enjoying the new process so far and working on revisions to address some of the concerns raised by reviewers.

#ocean #marine #microbiology #evolution #ecology

Chitin utilization by marine picocyanobacteria and the evolution of a planktonic lifestyle

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2213271120

#marine #microbiology #cyanobacteria

Our latest work on marine giant virus diversity -

Assessing the biogeography of marine giant viruses in four oceanic transects

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43705-023-00252-6

#viruses #marine #ocean #giantviruses

Assessing the biogeography of marine giant viruses in four oceanic transects - ISME Communications

ISME Communications - Assessing the biogeography of marine giant viruses in four oceanic transects

^Nature