Cited by 16Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsMicrobial Community Ecology and PhysiologyPaleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils

Viruses of sulfur oxidizing phototrophs encode genes for pigment, carbon, and sulfur metabolisms

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Hesketh-Best, Poppy J., Bosco-Santos, Alice, Garcia, Sofia L., O’Beirne, Molly D., Werne, Josef P., Gilhooly, William P., Silveira, Cynthia B.·2023·Communications Earth & Environment

Published version of a preprint

Abstract

Viral infections modulate bacterial metabolism and ecology. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that viruses influence the ecology of purple and green sulfur bacteria in anoxic and sulfidic lakes, analogs of euxinic oceans in the geologic past. By screening metagenomes from lake sediments and water column, in addition to publicly-available genomes of cultured purple and green sulfur bacteria, we identified almost 300 high and medium-quality viral genomes. Viruses carrying the gene psbA , encoding the small subunit of photosystem II protein D1, were ubiquitous, suggesting viral interference with the light reactions of sulfur oxidizing autotrophs. Viruses predicted to infect these autotrophs also encoded auxiliary metabolic genes for reductive sulfur assimilation as cysteine, pigment production, and carbon fixation. These observations show that viruses have the genomic potential to modulate the production of metabolic markers of phototrophic sulfur bacteria that are used to identify photic zone euxinia in the geologic past.

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Authors
Hesketh-Best, P. J., Bosco-Santos, A., Garcia, S. L., O’Beirne, M. D., Werne, J. P., Gilhooly, W. P., & Silveira, C. B.
Affiliations
  • University of Miami (US)
  • University of Pittsburgh (US)
  • Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (US)
Corresponding author
Silveira, Cynthia B.
Venue
Communications Earth & Environment
Published
2023-04-19
Volume
4
Issue
1
Pages
126-126
ISSN
2662-4435 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4366393622
Cited by
16
References
119
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3
FWCI
2.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Communications Earth & Environment (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Square (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • IUScholarWorks (Indiana University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NSSC23K0676)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
Keywords
virome, purple sulfur bacteria, green sulfur bacteria, psbA, photosystem II, auxiliary metabolic genes, cysteine biosynthesis, pigment synthesis, CO2 fixation, viral interference, euxinia, lake sediments, viral ecology

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