Article
 

Viral Outbreak in Corals Associated with an In Situ Bleaching Event: Atypical Herpes-Like Viruses and a New Megavirus Infecting Symbiodinium

公开 Deposited

可下载的内容

下载PDF文件
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/articles/9c67wp66c

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • Previous studies of coral viruses have employed either microscopy or metagenomics, but few have attempted to comprehensively link the presence of a virus-like particle (VLP) to a genomic sequence. We conducted transmission electron microscopy imaging and virome analysis in tandem to characterize the most conspicuous viral types found within the dominant Pacific reef-building coral genus Acropora. Collections for this study inadvertently captured what we interpret as a natural outbreak of viral infection driven by aerial exposure of the reef flat coincident with heavy rainfall and concomitant mass bleaching. All experimental corals in this study had high titers of viral particles. Three of the dominant VLPs identified were observed in all tissue layers and budding out from the epidermis, including viruses that were ∼70, ∼120, and ∼150 nm in diameter; these VLPs all contained electron dense cores. These morphological traits are reminiscent of retroviruses, herpesviruses, and nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs), respectively. Some 300–500 nm megavirus-like VLPs also were observed within and associated with dinoflagellate algal endosymbiont (Symbiodinium) cells. Abundant sequence similarities to a gammaretrovirus, herpesviruses, and members of the NCLDVs, based on a virome generated from five Acropora aspera colonies, corroborated these morphology-based identifications. Additionally sequence similarities to two diagnostic genes, a MutS and (based on re-annotation of sequences from another study) a DNA polymerase B gene, most closely resembled Pyramimonas orientalis virus, demonstrating the association of a cosmopolitan megavirus with Symbiodinium. We also identified several other virus-like particles in host tissues, along with sequences phylogenetically similar to circoviruses, phages, and filamentous viruses. This study suggests that viral outbreaks may be a common but previously undocumented component of natural bleaching events, particularly following repeated episodes of multiple environmental stressors.
  • Keywords: virus-like particle (VLP), herpesvirus, tropical coral reef, nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus (NCLDV), megavirus, virome
Resource Type
DOI
Date Available
Date Issued
Citation
  • Correa, A. M., Ainsworth, T. D., Rosales, S. M., Thurber, A. R., Butler, C. R., & Thurber, R. L. V. (2016). Viral Outbreak in Corals Associated with an In Situ Bleaching Event: Atypical Herpes-Like Viruses and a New Megavirus Infecting Symbiodinium. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7, 127. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2016.00127
Journal Title
Journal Volume
  • 7
权利声明
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • This research was supported by a National Science Foundation grant (OCE-0960937) to RT.
Publisher
Peer Reviewed
Language
Replaces

关联

Parents:

This work has no parents.

单件

缩略图 标题 上传日期 公开度 行动
file details CorreaViralOutbreakCorals.pdf 2017-07-26 公开 下载