Unveiling the unknown viral world in groundwater

Zongzhi Wu, Tang Liu, Qian Chen, Tianyi Chen, Jinyun Hu, Liyu Sun, Bingxue Wang, Wenpeng Li and Jinren Ni ()
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Zongzhi Wu: Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School
Tang Liu: Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School
Qian Chen: Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School
Tianyi Chen: Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School
Jinyun Hu: Peking University
Liyu Sun: Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School
Bingxue Wang: Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School
Wenpeng Li: China Institute of Geo-environmental Monitoring
Jinren Ni: Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-12

Abstract: Abstract Viruses as the prevailing biological entities are poorly understood in underground realms. Here, we establish the first metagenomic Groundwater Virome Catalogue (GWVC) comprising 280,420 viral species ( ≥ 5 kb) detected from 607 monitored wells in seven geo-environmental zones throughout China. In expanding ~10-fold the global portfolio of known groundwater viruses, we uncover over 99% novel viruses and about 95% novel viral clusters. By linking viruses to hosts from 119 prokaryotic phyla, we double the number of microbial phyla known to be virus-infected in groundwater. As keystone ultrasmall symbionts in aquifers, CPR bacteria and DPANN archaea are susceptible to virulent viruses. Certain complete CPR viruses even likely infect non-CPR bacteria, while partial CPR/DPANN viruses harbor cell-surface modification genes that assist symbiont cell adhesion to free-living microbes. This study reveals the unknown viral world and auxiliary metabolism associated with methane, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus cycling in groundwater, and highlights the importance of subsurface virosphere in viral ecology.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51230-y

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