title: Viral assemblage composition in Yellowstone acidic hot springs assessed by network analysis.
abstract: Understanding of viral assemblage structure in natural environments remains a daunting task. Total viral assemblage sequencing (for example, viral metagenomics) provides a tractable approach. However, even with the availability of next-generation sequencing technology it is usually only possible to obtain a fragmented view of viral assemblages in natural ecosystems. In this study, we applied a network-based approach in combination with viral metagenomics to investigate viral assemblage structure in the high temperature, acidic hot springs of Yellowstone National Park, USA. Our results show that this approach can identify distinct viral groups and provide insights into the viral assemblage structure. We identified 110 viral groups in the hot springs environment, with each viral group likely representing a viral family at the sub-family taxonomic level. Most of these viral groups are previously unknown DNA viruses likely infecting archaeal hosts. Overall, this study demonstrates the utility of combining viral assemblage sequencing approaches with network analysis to gain insights into viral assemblage structure in natural ecosystems.
authors.affiliation: Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.|Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology and, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bolduc
authors.affiliation: Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.|Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology and, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Wirth
authors.affiliation: Bioinformatics Core Facility, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
authors.forename: Aurélien
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mazurie
authors.affiliation: Thermal Biology Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.|Department of Plant Sciences and Plant Pathology and, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
authors.forename: Mark J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Young
mesh_terms: D023641:Archaeal Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D017753:Ecosystem; D045482:Hot Springs / Q000821:virology*; D056186:Metagenomics / Q000379:methods; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D000068316:Parks, Recreational; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral