Linking Infection Dynamics to Genomic Signatures of Marine Lytic Phycoviruses Infecting Two Micromonas Species

Buramu, Pendo Anna (2025) Linking Infection Dynamics to Genomic Signatures of Marine Lytic Phycoviruses Infecting Two Micromonas Species. Master's Research Project 1, Ecology and Evolution.

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Abstract

Members of the genus Micromonas (Prasinophyceae) are among the most abundant picoplankton, occurring from coastal to oceanic and polar to temperate waters, where they form the base of many marine food webs. Their susceptibility to lytic double-stranded DNA phycoviruses, Micromonas pusilla viruses (MpVs), shapes microbial community dynamics. However, infection kinetics and underlying viral genomic determinants remain poorly understood. This study aims to connect the genomic characteristics of 10 MpVs with their infection dynamics in two closely related host species: M. pusilla CCMP1545 and M. commoda LAC38. Subsequently, high‐quality viral genomes were assembled using MinION long‐read sequencing, and phylogenetic relationships were inferred based on DNA polymerase B gene. The onset of the latent period was 12 hours for MpVs infecting Micromonas pusilla CCMP1545 and 8 hours for those infecting Micromonas commoda LAC38. M. pusilla infecting viruses yielded approximately half the burst size of those infecting M. commoda. Phylogenetic reconstruction revealed two distinct polB‐based clusters that perfectly correspond to host specificity. Infection kinetics and phylogenetic clustering support a clear biological separation between MpVs of the two hosts. We propose renaming the M. commode infecting phycoviruses as “McVs” to reflect their exclusive host range and particular evolutionary lineage.

Item Type:	Thesis (Master's Research Project 1)
Supervisor name:	Hackl, T.
Degree programme:	Ecology and Evolution
Thesis type:	Master's Research Project 1
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	17 Jun 2025 06:15
Last Modified:	17 Jun 2025 06:15
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/35359

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