Dimensions: Costs and benefits of chronic viral infections in natural ecosystems

维度：自然生态系统中慢性病毒感染的成本和收益

• 批准号: 1342876
• 负责人: Mark Young
• 金额: $ 199.4万
• 依托单位: Montana State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-10-01 至 2018-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1342876&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dimensions; Costs; benefits; chronic; viral

This research project will investigate a new hypothesis about how viruses may control the structure and function of microbial communities. The traditional view of viruses is that they negatively impact the fitness of infected hosts. In other words, they are viewed strictly as pathogens, in which the host tries to eliminate the virus. This project will explore an alternative hypothesis: that chronic viral infections contribute positively to host fitness, increasing the success of the virus-host pair by protecting their hosts from infection by even more pathogenic viruses. Under this model, the competitive advantage provided by many viruses plays a direct role in maintaining microbial biodiversity. Microbial communities in hot springs in Yellowstone National Park will be used to test this hypothesis by: i) linking temporal changes in virus abundance and diversity to host genetic and taxonomic diversity, ii) identifying chronic viruses, and quantifying the fitness consequences of chronic viral infections in the laboratory, iii) assessing the effects of removing viruses in laboratory and field experiments, and iv) developing a theoretical and computational model of host-viral interactions that includes the costs and benefits of chronic infections. It is anticipated that this research will provide new insights into how viruses influence not only microbial biodiversity, but also the biodiversity of plants and animals. This research will be of broad scientific importance. It is known that microbes play a significant role in life on earth, including as the foundation for earth's food webs, influencing carbon and nitrogen cycles, and in human health. Viruses infect all forms of life, including microbes. This study will reveal more about how viruses impact the composition and function of ecosystems. The research project also will engage K-12 teachers, students, and the public on the science of biodiversity using Yellowstone National Park as a highly attractive and visible venue for public interest in science. The investigators will create field courses for K-12 science teachers, virtual classrooms from Yellowstone to K-12 schools, online courses and workshops, and nationally aired films focused on microbial research in Yellowstone. Results from this project are expected to reveal fundamental new knowledge about the biodiversity of life on earth.

该研究项目将调查关于病毒如何控制微生物群落结构和功能的新假设。对病毒的传统看法是，它们会对受感染宿主的适应性产生负面影响。 换句话说，它们被严格视为病原体，宿主试图消灭病毒。该项目将探索另一种假设：慢性病毒感染对宿主适应性有积极贡献，通过保护宿主免受更具致病性的病毒感染来增加病毒-宿主对的成功。在这种模式下，许多病毒提供的竞争优势在维持微生物生物多样性方面发挥着直接作用。 黄石国家公园温泉中的微生物群落将被用于通过以下方式来检验这一假设：i）将病毒丰度和多样性的时间变化与宿主遗传多样性和分类多样性联系起来，ii）鉴定慢性病毒，并在实验室中量化慢性病毒感染的适应性后果，iii）评估在实验室和田间实验中去除病毒的效果，和iv）开发宿主-病毒相互作用的理论和计算模型，其包括慢性感染的成本和益处。预计这项研究将为病毒如何影响微生物生物多样性以及动植物生物多样性提供新的见解。 这项研究将具有广泛的科学意义。众所周知，微生物在地球上的生命中发挥着重要作用，包括作为地球食物网的基础，影响碳和氮循环，以及人类健康。病毒感染所有形式的生命，包括微生物。这项研究将揭示更多关于病毒如何影响生态系统的组成和功能。 该研究项目还将利用黄石国家公园作为公众对科学感兴趣的一个极具吸引力和可见的场所，让K-12教师、学生和公众参与生物多样性科学。 调查人员将为K-12科学教师创建实地课程，从黄石到K-12学校的虚拟教室，在线课程和研讨会，以及全国播放的专注于黄石微生物研究的电影。该项目的结果有望揭示有关地球生命生物多样性的基本新知识。

项目成果

Viral invasion fitness across a continuum from lysis to latency†

从裂解到潜伏期的病毒入侵适应度 –

• DOI: 10.1093/ve/vez006
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: Virus Evolution
• 影响因子: 5.3
• 作者: Weitz, Joshua S;Li, Guanlin;Gulbudak, Hayriye;Cortez, Michael H;Whitaker, Rachel J
• 通讯作者: Whitaker, Rachel J