title: Novel N4 Bacteriophages Prevail in the Cold Biosphere.
abstract: Coliphage N4 is a lytic bacteriophage discovered nearly half a century ago, and it was considered to be a "genetic orphan" until very recently, when several additional N4-like phages were discovered to infect nonenteric bacterial hosts. Interest in this genus of phages is stimulated by their unique genetic features and propagation strategies. To better understand the ecology of N4-like phages, we investigated the diversity and geographic patterns of N4-like phages by examining 56 Chesapeake Bay viral communities, using a PCR-clone library approach targeting a diagnostic N4-like DNA polymerase gene. Many new lineages of N4-like phages were found in the bay, and their genotypes shift from the lower to the upper bay. Interestingly, signature sequences of N4-like phages were recovered only from winter month samples, when water temperatures were below 4°C. An analysis of existing metagenomic libraries from various aquatic environments supports the hypothesis that N4-like phages are most prolific in colder waters. In particular, a high number of N4-like phages were detected in Organic Lake, Antarctica, a cold and hypersaline system. The prevalence of N4-like phages in the cold biosphere suggests these viruses possess yet-to-be-determined mechanisms that facilitate lytic infections under cold conditions.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Yuanchao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buchan
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Baltimore, Maryland, USA chenf@umces.edu.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000864:Antarctic Regions; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology; D014481:United States; D014871:Water Microbiology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral