cyanophages

PhD project

Phytoplankton viruses in peri-alpine lakes

A New Freshwater Cyanosiphovirus Harboring Integrase

This work reports the first genome and genomic analysis of a freshwater cyanosiphovirus. With the largest BS and the longest period needed after infection before cells lyse ever found in a cyanosiphovirus infecting a PE-rich picocyanobacterium, atypical and original genomic features as well as a widespread distribution in aquatic systems, S-LBS1 and related viruses are likely to be key components in controlling and structuring Synechococcus populations. This report therefore fills a gap in the database where cyanosiphovirus genomes from freshwaters are still absent to date. Certainly, this will lend a support to those who want to investigate cyanosiphoviruses in freshwater environments, using either PCR- or metagenomic-based methods.

Methods and Technologies to Assess Viral Interactions in the Aquatic World

In this chapter, we summarize and discuss methods used to study viral interactions in aquatic environments. These methods to assess interactions between viruses, hosts and the environment (including other viruses) are operationally separated into …

Virus Interactions in the Aquatic World

During the past 30 years, a vast amount of articles has been published on the importance - in terms of abundance, diversity and functional roles - of viruses inhabiting the aquatic world (either marine or freshwater), which include several excellent …

Differing assemblage composition and dynamics in T4‐like myophages of two neighbouring sub‐alpine lakes

Bacteriophages play an important role in plankton population dynamics and biogeochemical cycling, but their community dynamics and diversity are still poorly known, especially in fresh waters. We conducted a 1‐year investigation of the T4‐like …

Seasonal variations in PCR-DGGE fingerprinted viruses infecting phytoplankton in large and deep peri-alpine lakes

Double-stranded DNA viruses infecting eukaryotic algae (e.g., phycodnaviruses) and cyanobacteria (e.g., cyanophages) are now recognized as widespread and ubiquitous in aquatic environments. However, both the diversity and functional roles of these …

Temporal dynamics and structure of picocyanobacteria and cyanomyoviruses in two large and deep peri-alpine lakes

We conducted a 1-year survey of the surface waters of two deep peri-alpine lakes, and investigated the abundances and community structure of picocyanobacteria and co-occurring cyanomyophages. Picocyanobacterial abundances ranged between 4.5 × 104 and …

Prevalence of Viral Photosynthetic and Capsid Protein Genes from Cyanophages in Two Large and Deep Perialpine Lakes

Cyanophages are important components of aquatic ecosystems, but their genetic diversity has been little investigated in freshwaters. A yearlong survey was conducted in surface waters of the two largest natural perialpine lakes in France (Lake Annecy …

Dynamics of various viral groups infecting autotrophic plankton in Lake Geneva

Viral community structure and dynamics were investigated for the first time in surface waters (0–20 m) of Lake Geneva over a 5-month period between July and November 2011. Abundances of autotrophic picoplankton, heterotrophic bacteria and virus-like …

First description of a cyanophage infecting the cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina)

Cyanobacteria constitute a versatile group of photosynthetic bacteria of immense commercial and ecological importance. Some species of this group are cultivated and sold as food because of their high nutritional value. This is typically the case for …