Du Sen, Wu Zuqing, Wu Ying, Yang Mingyu, Deng Chunmei, Zhang Yahui, Chen Feng, Zhang Zefeng, Zhao Yanlin
College of Juncao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.
Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Commun Biol. 2025 Aug 18;8(1):1240. doi: 10.1038/s42003-025-08611-w.
Marine viral communities harbor an astounding diversity of phages infecting diverse marine bacteria. The double-stranded DNA phage family Autographiviridae is among the most abundant phage families in the ocean. However, the current understanding of marine Autographiviridae phages is predominantly derived from isolates infecting cyanobacteria, SAR11, and Roseobacter. To achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the diversity, ecological traits, and functional profiles of this phage family, we recovered 1253 complete marine Autographiviridae uncultivated viral genomes (UViGs). Comparative genomic analysis showed that marine-derived Autographiviridae phages display genome synteny and share a conserved core of seven genes. The core gene-based phylogenomic analysis classified them into 14 groups, 6 of which were previously undescribed. These groups varied in G + C content, genome size, and presence of specific genes. Metagenomic recruitment analysis demonstrated that Autographiviridae phages are globally distributed and enriched in the upper ocean layers of tropical and temperate zones. The differential distribution patterns among these groups mirror the ecological niches of their potential hosts, emphasizing the top-down control these phages exert on their host populations. Collectively, our study substantially expands knowledge regarding the diversity, potential hosts, functional capacity, and ecological distribution of Autographiviridae phages in the ocean, emphasizing their ecological implications in marine environments.
海洋病毒群落中存在着种类惊人的噬菌体，它们能感染各种海洋细菌。双链DNA噬菌体科自显病毒科是海洋中最丰富的噬菌体科之一。然而，目前对海洋自显病毒科噬菌体的了解主要来自于感染蓝藻、SAR11和玫瑰杆菌的分离株。为了更全面地了解这个噬菌体科的多样性、生态特征和功能概况，我们获得了1253个完整的未培养海洋自显病毒科病毒基因组（UViGs）。比较基因组分析表明，源自海洋的自显病毒科噬菌体显示出基因组共线性，并共享一个由七个基因组成的保守核心。基于核心基因的系统基因组分析将它们分为14个组，其中6个组以前未被描述过。这些组在G+C含量、基因组大小和特定基因的存在方面存在差异。宏基因组招募分析表明，自显病毒科噬菌体在全球范围内分布，并在热带和温带的海洋上层富集。这些组之间的差异分布模式反映了其潜在宿主的生态位，强调了这些噬菌体对其宿主种群的自上而下的控制。总的来说，我们的研究极大地扩展了关于海洋中自显病毒科噬菌体的多样性、潜在宿主、功能能力和生态分布的知识，强调了它们在海洋环境中的生态意义。
