TY - JOUR
T1 - Isolation and infection cycle of a polinton-like virus virophage in an abundant marine alga
AU - Roitman, Sheila
AU - Rozenberg, Andrey
AU - Lavy, Tali
AU - Brussaard, Corina P.D.
AU - Kleifeld, Oded
AU - Béjà, Oded
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.
PY - 2023/1/26
Y1 - 2023/1/26
N2 - Virophages are small double stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses that can only replicate in a host by co-infecting with another virus. Marine algae are commonly associated with virophage-like elements such as Polinton-like viruses (PLVs) that remain largely uncharacterized. Here we isolated a PLV that co-infects the alga Phaeocystis globosa with the Phaeocystis globosa virus-14T (PgV-14T), a close relative of the "Phaeocystis globosa virus-virophage" genomic sequence. We name this PLV ‘Gezel-14T. Gezel is phylogenetically distinct from the Lavidaviridae family where all known virophages belong. Gezel-14T co-infection decreases the fitness of its viral host by reducing burst sizes of PgV-14T, yet insufficiently to spare the cellular host population. Genomic screens show Gezel-14T-like PLVs integrated into Phaeocystis genomes, suggesting that these widespread viruses are capable of integration into cellular host genomes. This system presents an opportunity to better understand the evolution of eukaryotic dsDNA viruses as well as the complex dynamics and implications of viral parasitism.
AB - Virophages are small double stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses that can only replicate in a host by co-infecting with another virus. Marine algae are commonly associated with virophage-like elements such as Polinton-like viruses (PLVs) that remain largely uncharacterized. Here we isolated a PLV that co-infects the alga Phaeocystis globosa with the Phaeocystis globosa virus-14T (PgV-14T), a close relative of the "Phaeocystis globosa virus-virophage" genomic sequence. We name this PLV ‘Gezel-14T. Gezel is phylogenetically distinct from the Lavidaviridae family where all known virophages belong. Gezel-14T co-infection decreases the fitness of its viral host by reducing burst sizes of PgV-14T, yet insufficiently to spare the cellular host population. Genomic screens show Gezel-14T-like PLVs integrated into Phaeocystis genomes, suggesting that these widespread viruses are capable of integration into cellular host genomes. This system presents an opportunity to better understand the evolution of eukaryotic dsDNA viruses as well as the complex dynamics and implications of viral parasitism.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146890351&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41564-022-01305-7
DO - 10.1038/s41564-022-01305-7
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AN - SCOPUS:85146890351
VL - 8
SP - 332
EP - 346
JO - Nature Microbiology
JF - Nature Microbiology
IS - 2
ER -
