Virus Satellites Drive Viral Evolution and Ecology.
Virus satellites are widespread subcellular entities, present both in eukaryotic and in prokaryotic cells. Their modus vivendi involves parasitism of the life cycle of their inducing helper viruses, which assures their transmission to a new host. However, the evolutionary and ecological implications of satellites on helper viruses remain unclear. Here, using staphylococcal pathogenicity islands (SaPIs) as a model of virus satellites, we experimentally show that helper viruses rapidly evolve resistance to their virus satellites, preventing SaPI proliferation, and SaPIs in turn can readily evolve to overcome phage resistance. Genomic analyses of both these experimentally evolved strains as well as naturally occurring bacteriophages suggest that the SaPIs drive the coexistence of multiple alleles of the phage-coded SaPI inducing genes, as well as sometimes selecting for the absence of the SaPI depressing genes. We report similar (accidental) evolution of resistance to SaPIs in laboratory phages used for Staphylococcus aureus typing and also obtain the same qualitative results in both experimental evolution and phylogenetic studies of Enterococcus faecalis phages and their satellites viruses. In summary, our results suggest that helper and satellite viruses undergo rapid coevolution, which is likely to play a key role in the evolution and ecology of the viruses as well as their prokaryotic hosts.
Universidad Cardenal Herrera CEU, Moncada, Spain.
Belén
B
Frígols
Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
Nuria
N
Quiles-Puchalt
Universidad Cardenal Herrera CEU, Moncada, Spain.
Ignacio
I
Mir-Sanchis
Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (CSIC), Valencia, Spain.
Jorge
J
Donderis
Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (CSIC-UPV), Valencia, Spain; Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States of America.
Santiago F
SF
Elena
Department of Biosciences, Center for Ecology and Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, United Kingdom.
Angus
A
Buckling
Skirball Institute Program in Molecular Pathogenesis and Departments of Microbiology and Medicine, New York University Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America.
Richard P
RP
Novick
Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (CSIC), Valencia, Spain.
Alberto
A
Marina
Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom.
José R
JR
Penadés
D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000235:genetics*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000235:genetics; D044404:Genomic Islands / Q000235:genetics; D006378:Helper Viruses / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012526:Satellite Viruses / Q000235:genetics*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000821:virology; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D014764:Viral Proteins