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Stable coexistence between an archaeal virus and the dominant methanogen of the human gut.

ABSTRACT: The human gut virome, which is mainly composed of bacteriophages, also includes viruses infecting archaea, yet their role remains poorly understood due to lack of isolates. Here, we characterize a temperate archaeal virus (MSTV1) infecting Methanobrevibacter smithii, the dominant methanogenic archaeon of the human gut. The MSTV1 genome is integrated in the host chromosome as a provirus which is sporadically induced, resulting in virion release. Using cryo-electron tomography, we capture several intracellular virion assembly intermediates and confirm that only a small fraction of the host population actively produces virions in vitro. Similar low frequency of induction is observed in a mouse colonization model, using mice harboring a stable consortium of 12 bacterial species (OMM12). Transcriptomic analysis suggests a regulatory lysogeny-lysis switch involving an interplay between viral proteins to maintain virus-host equilibrium, ensuring host survival and viral persistence. Thus, our study sheds light on archaeal virus-host interactions and highlights similarities with bacteriophages in establishing stable coexistence with their hosts in the gut.

SUBMITTER: Baquero DP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11375127 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Stable coexistence between an archaeal virus and the dominant methanogen of the human gut.

Baquero Diana P DP Medvedeva Sofia S Martin-Gallausiaux Camille C Pende Nika N Sartori-Rupp Anna A Tachon Stéphane S Pedron Thierry T Debarbieux Laurent L Borrel Guillaume G Gribaldo Simonetta S Krupovic Mart M

Nature communications 20240904 1

The human gut virome, which is mainly composed of bacteriophages, also includes viruses infecting archaea, yet their role remains poorly understood due to lack of isolates. Here, we characterize a temperate archaeal virus (MSTV1) infecting Methanobrevibacter smithii, the dominant methanogenic archaeon of the human gut. The MSTV1 genome is integrated in the host chromosome as a provirus which is sporadically induced, resulting in virion release. Using cryo-electron tomography, we capture several ...[more]

PMID: 39231967

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Dataset Information

Stable coexistence between an archaeal virus and the dominant methanogen of the human gut.

Publications

Stable coexistence between an archaeal virus and the dominant methanogen of the human gut.

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