Globally occurring pelagiphage infections create ribosome-deprived cells

Jan D. Brüwer (), Chandni Sidhu, Yanlin Zhao, Andreas Eich, Leonard Rößler, Luis H. Orellana and Bernhard M. Fuchs ()
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Jan D. Brüwer: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Chandni Sidhu: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Yanlin Zhao: Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University
Andreas Eich: PSL Research University: EPHE-UPVD-CNRS,UAR 3278 CRIOBE
Leonard Rößler: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Luis H. Orellana: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology
Bernhard M. Fuchs: Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Phages play an essential role in controlling bacterial populations. Those infecting Pelagibacterales (SAR11), the dominant bacteria in surface oceans, have been studied in silico and by cultivation attempts. However, little is known about the quantity of phage-infected cells in the environment. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization techniques, we here show pelagiphage-infected SAR11 cells across multiple global ecosystems and present evidence for tight community control of pelagiphages on the SAR11 hosts in a case study. Up to 19% of SAR11 cells were phage-infected during a phytoplankton bloom, coinciding with a ~90% reduction in SAR11 cell abundance within 5 days. Frequently, a fraction of the infected SAR11 cells were devoid of detectable ribosomes, which appear to be a yet undescribed possible stage during pelagiphage infection. We dubbed such cells zombies and propose, among other possible explanations, a mechanism in which ribosomal RNA is used as a resource for the synthesis of new phage genomes. On a global scale, we detected phage-infected SAR11 and zombie cells in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern Oceans. Our findings illuminate the important impact of pelagiphages on SAR11 populations and unveil the presence of ribosome-deprived zombie cells as part of the infection cycle.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48172-w

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