海洋病毒——全球生态系统中的主要参与者。

Marine viruses--major players in the global ecosystem.

作者信息

Suttle Curtis A

机构信息

University of British Columbia, Departments of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Botany, and Microbiology and Immunology, 1461 BioSciences, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada.

出版信息

Nat Rev Microbiol. 2007 Oct;5(10):801-12. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro1750.

DOI:10.1038/nrmicro1750

PMID:17853907

Abstract

Viruses are by far the most abundant 'lifeforms' in the oceans and are the reservoir of most of the genetic diversity in the sea. The estimated 10(30) viruses in the ocean, if stretched end to end, would span farther than the nearest 60 galaxies. Every second, approximately 10(23) viral infections occur in the ocean. These infections are a major source of mortality, and cause disease in a range of organisms, from shrimp to whales. As a result, viruses influence the composition of marine communities and are a major force behind biogeochemical cycles. Each infection has the potential to introduce new genetic information into an organism or progeny virus, thereby driving the evolution of both host and viral assemblages. Probing this vast reservoir of genetic and biological diversity continues to yield exciting discoveries.

摘要

病毒是目前海洋中数量最为丰富的“生命形式”，也是海洋中大部分遗传多样性的储存库。据估计，海洋中的病毒数量达10³⁰个，若将它们首尾相连，其长度将超过最近的60个星系。海洋中每秒大约会发生10²³次病毒感染。这些感染是造成死亡的主要原因，会在从虾到鲸鱼等一系列生物体中引发疾病。因此，病毒影响着海洋群落的组成，并且是生物地球化学循环背后的一股主要力量。每次感染都有可能将新的遗传信息引入生物体或子代病毒，从而推动宿主和病毒群体的进化。对这一巨大的遗传和生物多样性储存库进行探索，不断带来令人兴奋的发现。