EAGER: Persistent Virus Infections in Marine Phytoplankton

病毒普遍存在于我们生活的地球环境的每一个部分，然而我们对类型、分布和功能的理解是生物多样性中最不为人所知的方面。近年来，我们对病毒在环境中驱动宿主进化方面的作用有了越来越多的认识，但关于其机制的基本知识仍然缺乏。此外，病毒可能通过“杀死赢家”的情况间接影响多样性，也可能通过细胞裂解和随后释放溶解的营养物质，从而促进微生物群落的重组。迄今为止，大多数关于海洋病毒的研究都集中在急性易感宿主菌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的生命策略，可以说它更倾向于更广泛认可的裂解周期。该项目的目的是证明持续的病毒感染发生在海洋浮游植物中，它们是海洋生态系统功能的关键组成部分，也是初级生产者的关键进化驱动因素。使用一系列持续性病毒宿主系统，本项目将调查：1)持久性病毒感染在海洋系统中的普遍程度；2)非编码rna在维持宿主与病毒共生中的作用。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、基因组学和开发新的诊断标记）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。这个项目的结果将有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。这个项目的更广泛的影响包括这个项目是关于“生态系统的恢复力和稳定性”，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，这代表了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。在这个项目中概述的研究将作为Bigelow实验室非正式的Cafe Scientifique项目的一部分进行讨论，该项目旨在向公众介绍最新的科学思想。此外，调查人员将与一名科学作家合作，通过将作者“嵌入”到科学项目中，使我们的项目具有社会网络存在感。将利用这些材料，结合大众科学杂志和广播的媒体宣传，促进公众认识和认识到病毒在海洋生态、进化和功能方面的重要性。

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.