EAGER: Persistent Virus Infections in Marine Phytoplankton

EAGER：海洋浮游植物中的持续病毒感染

• 批准号: 1346272
• 负责人: Joaquin Martinez Martinez
• 金额: $ 29.95万
• 依托单位: Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-08-15 至 2016-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1346272&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Persistent; Virus; Infections; Marine

Viruses are prevalent in every part of the environment of our living planet, and yet our understanding of type, distribution, and function is the least well-known aspect of biodiversity. In recent years we have developed an increased appreciation for the role viruses play in driving host evolution in the environment, but fundamental knowledge about the mechanisms involved remain lacking. Additionally, viruses may influence diversity indirectly through "kill the winner" scenarios, as well as through cell lysis and subsequent release of dissolved nutrients, which facilitate restructuring of microbial communities. The majority of research on marine viruses to date has focused on combinations of acutely susceptible host strains with highly virulent virus isolates. However, it is likely that marine viruses also employ a persistent infection life strategy, arguably preferring it to the more widely recognized lytic cycle. The objective of this project is to demonstrate that persistent virus infections occur in marine phytoplankton, and that these are a crucial component of ocean ecosystem function and a key evolutionary driver in primary producers. Using a range of persistent virus:host systems, this project will investigate: 1) how pervasive persistent virus infections are in marine systems; and 2) the role of non-coding RNAs in maintaining host:virus symbiosis. This is a high risk-high pay research as it involves a radically different approach to the analysis of viruses in marine systems. The investigators plan to apply a suite of molecular (transcriptomics, genomics and development of novel diagnostic markers) techniques to include the analysis of microRNAs to determine the functional importance of persistent viruses in the ocean. The results of this project will be potentially transformative for our understanding of virus-driven phytoplankton evolution and its potential impact on biodiversity in marine phytoplankton, a vital component of the global carbon cycle.The broder impacts of this project include the fact that this project is about "ecosystem resilience and stability", one of the pillars of the National Ocean Policy. Products of this research will include a comprehensive knowledge base, representing a paradigm shift in our understanding about how viruses interact with global primary productivity processes and evolution. Research outlined in this project will be discussed as part of Bigelow Laboratory's informal Cafe Scientifique program designed to introduce the public to the latest ideas in science. In addition, the investigators will work with a science writer to give our project a social network presence by "embedding" the writer into the science program. These materials, in combination with media outreach for coverage in popular science magazines and broadcasts, will be employed to foster public recognition and awareness of the importance of viruses in the ecology, evolution, and functioning of the ocean.

病毒普遍存在于我们生活星球的每一个环境中，但我们对类型，分布和功能的理解是生物多样性最不为人所知的方面。近年来，我们对病毒在驱动环境中宿主进化中所起的作用有了越来越多的认识，但对所涉及的机制仍然缺乏基本的了解。此外，病毒可能会通过“杀死赢家”的情况，以及通过细胞裂解和随后释放溶解的营养物质，促进微生物群落的重组，间接影响多样性。迄今为止，对海洋病毒的大多数研究集中在急性易感宿主株与高毒力病毒分离株的组合上。然而，海洋病毒也可能采用持续感染生命策略，可以说更喜欢它而不是更广泛认可的裂解周期。 该项目的目标是证明海洋浮游植物中存在持续的病毒感染，这些是海洋生态系统功能的重要组成部分，也是初级生产者进化的关键驱动力。利用一系列持续性病毒：宿主系统，该项目将调查：1）如何普遍持续性病毒感染是在海洋系统中;和2）非编码RNA在维持主机的作用：病毒共生。这是一项高风险高报酬的研究，因为它涉及一种完全不同的方法来分析海洋系统中的病毒。研究人员计划应用一套分子（转录组学，基因组学和新型诊断标记物的开发）技术，包括对microRNA的分析，以确定海洋中持久性病毒的功能重要性。该项目的结果将可能改变我们对病毒驱动的浮游植物进化及其对海洋浮游植物生物多样性的潜在影响的理解，海洋浮游植物是全球碳循环的重要组成部分。该项目的更广泛的影响包括，该项目是关于“生态系统恢复力和稳定性”，这是国家海洋政策的支柱之一。这项研究的成果将包括一个全面的知识库，代表着我们对病毒如何与全球初级生产力过程和进化相互作用的理解的范式转变。本项目中概述的研究将作为毕格罗实验室非正式咖啡馆科学计划的一部分进行讨论，该计划旨在向公众介绍科学的最新思想。此外，研究人员将与一位科学作家合作，通过将作家“嵌入”到科学项目中，使我们的项目具有社交网络的存在。将利用这些材料，结合大众科学杂志和广播中的媒体宣传报道，促进公众认识和认识病毒在海洋生态、进化和运作中的重要性。