The genome of the diatom Chaetoceros tenuissimus carries an ancient integrated fragment of an extant virus.

ABSTRACT: Diatoms are one of the most prominent oceanic primary producers and are now recognized to be distributed throughout the world. They maintain their population despite predators, infections, and unfavourable environmental conditions. One of the smallest diatoms, Chaetoceros tenuissimus, can coexist with infectious viruses during blooms. To further understand this relationship, we sequenced the C. tenuissimus strain NIES-3715 genome. A gene fragment of a replication-associated gene from the infectious ssDNA virus (designated endogenous virus-like fragment, EVLF) was found to be integrated into each 41 Mb of haploid assembly. In addition, the EVLF was transcriptionally active and conserved in nine other C. tenuissimus strains from different geographical areas, although the primary structures o

SUBMITTER: Hongo Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8613185 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature