[Coral-List] Paper on Bleaching-Induced Outbreak of Viruses in Corals

[Rebecca Vega Thurber]

Sorry for the re-post but here is the correct link to our paper paper.

http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00127/abstract

On Thu, Jan 28, 2016 at 9:10 AM, Rebecca Vega Thurber <
rvegathurber at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hello everyone,
>   Please see our recent open access paper published in *Frontiers in
> Microbiology* on viral infections of Acropora corals during a bleaching
> event. On behalf of the authors I hope you find it interesting, and should
> you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask. -Becky
>
>
> http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmicb.2016.00127/abstractAbstract
>
> *Title:* Viral outbreak in corals associated with an in situ bleaching
> event: atypical herpes-like viruses and a new megavirus infecting
> *Symbiodinium*
>
> *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 nm, ~120 nm, 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 viral 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.
>
> --
> Dr. Rebecca Vega Thurber
> Assistant Professor of Microbiology
> Oregon State University
> 454 Nash Hall
> Corvallis OR  97331-3804, U.S.A
> 541-737-1851 (office) 541-737-0496 (FAX)
> rvegathurber at gmail.com;Rebecca.Vega-Thurber at oregonstate.edu
> <Rebecca.Vega.Thurber at oregonstate.edu>
>



-- 
Dr. Rebecca Vega Thurber
Assistant Professor of Microbiology
Oregon State University
454 Nash Hall
Corvallis OR  97331-3804, U.S.A
541-737-1851 (office) 541-737-0496 (FAX)
rvegathurber at gmail.com;Rebecca.Vega-Thurber at oregonstate.edu
<Rebecca.Vega.Thurber at oregonstate.edu>