High Transcriptional Activity and Diverse Functional Repertoires of Hundreds of Giant Viruses in a Coastal Marine System
Anh D. Ha, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Frank O. Aylward
Abstract
remains unclear. Here, we show that numerous giant viruses consistently express central metabolic enzymes in a coastal marine system, including components of glycolysis, the TCA cycle, and other pathways involved in nutrient homeostasis. Moreover, we found expression of several viral-encoded actin, myosin, and kinesin genes, indicating viral manipulation of the host cytoskeleton during infection. Our study reveals a high activity of giant viruses in a coastal marine system and indicates they are a diverse and underappreciated component of microbial diversity in the ocean.
Topics & Concepts
Giant VirusBiologyGenomeEvolutionary biologyComputational biologyGeneGeneticsBacteriophages and microbial interactionsPlant Virus Research StudiesAnimal Virus Infections Studies