title: Ecological and genetic interactions between cyanobacteria and viruses in a low-oxygen mat community inferred through metagenomics and metatranscriptomics.
abstract: Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing was conducted on cyanobacterial mats of the Middle Island Sinkhole (MIS), Lake Huron. Metagenomic data from 14 samples collected over 5 years were used to reconstruct genomes of two genotypes of a novel virus, designated PhV1 type A and PhV1 type B. Both viral genotypes encode and express nblA, a gene involved in degrading phycobilisomes, which are complexes of pigmented proteins that harvest light for photosynthesis. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the viral-encoded nblA is derived from the host cyanobacterium, Phormidium MIS-PhA. The cyanobacterial host also has two complete CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) systems that serve as defence mechanisms for bacteria and archaea against viruses and plasmids. One 45 bp CRISPR spacer from Phormidium had 100% nucleotide identity to PhV1 type B, but this region was absent from PhV1 type A. Transcripts from PhV1 and the Phormidium CRISPR loci were detected in all six metatranscriptomic data sets (three during the day and three at night), indicating that both are transcriptionally active in the environment. These results reveal ecological and genetic interactions between viruses and cyanobacteria at MIS, highlighting the value of parallel analysis of viruses and hosts in understanding ecological interactions in natural communities.
authors: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
authors: Alexander A
authors: AA
authors: Voorhies
authors: School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
authors: Sarah D
authors: SD
authors: Eisenlord
authors: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
authors: Daniel N
authors: DN
authors: Marcus
authors: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
authors: Melissa B
authors: MB
authors: Duhaime
authors: Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University, Muskegon, MI, 49441, USA.
authors: Bopaiah A
authors: BA
authors: Biddanda
authors: Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
authors: James D
authors: JD
authors: Cavalcoli
authors: Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.|Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
authors: Gregory J
authors: GJ
authors: Dick
mesh_terms: D001105:Archaea / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D064112:Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000235:genetics*; D004463:Ecology; D016680:Genome, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D060106:Lakes / Q000382:microbiology; D056186:Metagenomics; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D045524:Phycobilisomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D010957:Plasmids; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014780:Viruses / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D045524:Phycobilisomes; D010100:Oxygen