Multidimensional metrics for estimating phage abundance, distribution, gene density, and sequence coverage in metagenomes.

ABSTRACT: Phages are the most abundant biological entities on Earth and play major ecological roles, yet the current sequenced phage genomes do not adequately represent their diversity, and little is known about the abundance and distribution of these sequenced genomes in nature. Although the study of phage ecology has benefited tremendously from the emergence of metagenomic sequencing, a systematic survey of phage genes and genomes in various ecosystems is still lacking, and fundamental questions about phage biology, lifestyle, and ecology remain unanswered. To address these questions and improve comparative analysis of phages in different metagenomes, we screened a core set of publicly available metagenomic samples for sequences related to completely sequenced phages using the web tool, Phage Eco-

SUBMITTER: Aziz RK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4424905 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature