Life of Giant Phages

Projektinformationen

GIAPHAGE

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 101117204

DOI

10.3030/101117204

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 10 Oktober 2023

Startdatum 1 November 2023

Enddatum 31 Oktober 2028

Finanziert unter

• European Research Council (ERC)

Gesamtkosten

€ 1 499 808,00

EU-Beitrag

€ 1 499 808,00

Koordiniert durch

JYVASKYLAN YLIOPISTO
Finland

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GIAPHAGE (Life of Giant Phages)

Berichtszeitraum: 2023-11-01 bis 2026-04-30

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

Bacterial viruses, phages, are ubiquitous and most numerous entities in the biosphere. Development of sequencing techniques has increased our understanding on the diversity of phages that have not been isolated due to lack of cultivable hosts and/or suitable isolation methods. While sequence data enables a better view to the viral diversity, at the same time lack of functional data and biological connection increases. Recently, different studies have found megaphages (mainly phages with a genome over 600 kbp) by assembling metagenomes from various environmental samples. However, no such isolates have been obtained thus far meaning that their characteristics and host interactions are completely unknown. This ERC project will enlighten the life of giant phages, the term coined for both jumbo and megaphages. This will be achieved by using the first megaphage isolates. During the project, evidence on the megaphage structure and host interactions with host will be provided. Using a unique set of different phage sizes infecting the same host the size correlation to different life history traits will be determined. Project will provide insight to the mutualistic relationship between bacteria and their viruses and reveal new mechanisms behind phage competition. The environmental preferences for the megaphage emergence and abundance in boreal freshwaters will be determined. Consequently, results will aid in understanding the role of megaphages in other environments such as gut microbiome and potentially provide avenues for developing new genetic tools. This project will open new understanding for microbial ecology and especially phage ecology.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

This project investigates the biology and ecological role of giant bacteriophages (megaphages), a largely unexplored group of viruses. The research established the first experimentally tractable megaphage model system, enabling direct investigation of megaphage life cycle, genome organisation, and infection strategies. In addition, extensive freshwater sampling revealed that megaphages are abundant and seasonally structured in boreal and Arctic environments. Together, the results demonstrate that megaphages are ecologically relevant, can be isolated and studied experimentally, and possess unique genetic features that may underlie their success in microbial ecosystems.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

The discovery of abundant megaphage isolates represents a major breakthrough in phage research, as it provides the first direct evidence of the ecological importance of giant phages in boreal and Arctic freshwater environments. This finding significantly advances the field beyond the current state of the art, which has relied largely on metagenomic data and indirect observations.