Marine virologists analyzed sediment from the Mariana Trench, the deepest place on Earth, and identified a new bacteriophage.
The Mariana Trench, the deepest place on Earth, plunges nearly 11,000 meters at its lowest point on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. Life persists in the deep and cold darkness, and"wherever there's life, you can bet there are regulators at work," said marine virologist Min Wang, Ph.D, at the Ocean University of China, in Qingdao."Viruses, in this case.
In previous work, the researchers have used metagenomic analysis to study viruses that infect bacteria in the order. For the new study, Wang's team looked for viruses in bacterial strains collected and isolated by a team led by marine virologist Yu-Zhong Zhang, Ph.D, also at the Ocean University of China, in Qingdao. Zhang's research explores microbial life in extreme environments, including polar regions and the Mariana Trench.
The genomic analysis of the new virus, identified as vB_HmeY_H4907, suggests that it is distributed widely in the ocean and has a similar structure to its host. Wang said the study points to new questions and research areas focused on the survival strategies of viruses in harsh, secluded environments -- and how they co-evolve with their hosts. The new virus is lysogenic, which means it invades and replicates inside its host, but usually without killing the bacterial cell.
In future studies, Wang said, the group plans to investigate the molecular machinery that drives interactions between deep-sea viruses and their hosts. They're also searching for other new viruses in extreme places,"which would contribute to broadening our comprehension of the virosphere," Wang said."Extreme environments offer optimal prospects for unearthing novel viruses.
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