Going to extremes – a metagenomic journey into the dark matter of life
Arnthór Aevarsson, Anna‐Karina Kaczorowska, Björn Þór Aðalsteinsson, Josefin Ahlqvist, Salam Al‐Karadaghi, J. Altenbuchner, Hasan Arsın, Úlfur Áugúst Átlasson, David Brandt, Magdalena Cichowicz-Cieślak, Katy A S Cornish, Jérémy Courtin, Sławomir Dąbrowski, Håkon Dahle, Samia Djeffane, Sebastian Dorawa, Julia Dusaucy, François Enault, Anita‐Elin Fedöy, Stefanie Freitag‐Pohl, Ólafur H. Friðjónsson, Clovis Galiez, Eirin Glomsaker, Mickaël Guérin, Sigurd Eidem Gundesø, Elísabet Eik Guðmundsdóttir, Hörður Guðmundsson, M. Håkansson, Christian Henke, Alexandra Helleux, Jørn Remi Henriksen, Sigrídur Hjörleifdóttir, Guðmundur Ó. Hreggviðsson, Andrius Jasilionis, Annika Jochheim, Ilmur Jónsdóttir, Lilja Björk Jónsdóttir, Agata Jurczak-Kurek, Tadeusz Kaczorowski, Jörn Kalinowski, Łukasz Kozłowski, Mart Krupovìč, Karolina Kwiatkowska-Semrau, Olav Lanes, Joanna Lange, Julien Lebrat, Javier A. Linares‐Pastén, Ying Liu, Steffen A Lorentsen, Tobias Lutterman, Thibaud Mas, William Merré, Milot Mirdita, Agnieszka Morzywołek, Éric Olo Ndela, Eva Nordberg Karlsson, Edda Olgudóttir, Cathrine Pedersen, Francine B. Perler, Sólveig K. Pétursdóttir, Magdalena Płotka, Ehmke Pohl, David Prangishvili, Jessica Louise Ray, Birkir Reynisson, Tara Róbertsdóttir, Ruth‐Anne Sandaa, Alexander Sczyrba, Sigurlaug Skírnisdóttir, Johannes Söding, Terese Solstad, Ida Helene Steen, Sigmar K. Stefánsson, Martin Steinegger, Katrine Stange Overå, Bernd Striberny, Anders Svensson, Monika Szadkowska, Emma Tarrant, Paul Terzian, Mathilde Tourigny, Tom van den Bergh, Justine Vanhalst, Jonathan Vincent, Bas Vroling, Björn Walse, Lei Wang, Hildegard Watzlawick, M. Welin, Olesia Werbowy, Ewa Wons, Ruoshi Zhang
Abstract
The Virus-X-Viral Metagenomics for Innovation Value-project was a scientific expedition to explore and exploit uncharted territory of genetic diversity in extreme natural environments such as geothermal hot springs and deep-sea ocean ecosystems. Specifically, the project was set to analyse and exploit viral metagenomes with the ultimate goal of developing new gene products with high innovation value for applications in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical, and the life science sectors. Viral gene pool analysis is also essential to obtain fundamental insight into ecosystem dynamics and to investigate how viruses influence the evolution of microbes and multicellular organisms. The Virus-X Consortium, established in 2016, included experts from eight European countries. The unique approach based on high throughput bioinformatics technologies combined with structural and functional studies resulted in the development of a biodiscovery pipeline of significant capacity and scale. The activities within the Virus-X consortium cover the entire range from bioprospecting and methods development in bioinformatics to protein production and characterisation, with the final goal of translating our results into new products for the bioeconomy. The significant impact the consortium made in all of these areas was possible due to the successful cooperation between expert teams that worked together to solve a complex scientific problem using state-of-the-art technologies as well as developing novel tools to explore the virosphere, widely considered as the last great frontier of life.