Viruses and Algae

By Stephanie Boone
Virus Facts
• Most abundant life form in aquatic systems.
• In the ocean the total number exceeds 1029.
• Marine viruses high concentrations up to 10 8 in ml-1
• Play a significant role in the transfer of matter and
energy in aquatic microbial food webs.
• Infect at least some members of all the major classes of
freshwater and marine algae.
– Reported in at least 44 taxa of eukaryotic algae
– Includes members 10 of 14 classes of algae
• Virus Interactions range from
– true parasitism (chronic infection/cellular release without death)
– to predation (lytic infection resulting in cell death).
Ecological Significance
• Play a significant role in the
transfer of matter and
energy in aquatic microbial
food webs.
• Viral lysis of algae effects
carbon nutrient flow.
– Carbon stored in dissolved
organic matter released into
system.
– May influence carbon cycling
and climate.
• Significant role in transfer of
information through DNA.
• Important role in algae
blooms.
– effect marine community
structure.
Algal Viruses
• Despite the established Large ds DNA viruses.
ecological importance of PBCV-1, Fsv, EsV
marine viruses there have Small viruses.
been few studies which HaRNA, HaNIV
extensively investigate
and characterize viruses
of algae.
• The viruses studied
extensively fall into two
catagories.
Large dsDNA Viruses
• Family Phycodnaviridae
– Paramecium bursaria chorella
virus (PBCV-1) infect eukaryotic
unicellular-like green algae.
– Ectocarpus virus (EsV)
Feldmannnia virus (FsV) infect
marine brown alga.
• Common characteristics
– Found on five continents
– tropical, subtropical seawater,
and freshwater
– large icosahedral particles
130-190 nm diameter
– large dsDNA genomes 160-
380 kb
– Viral capsid assembly and
DNA packaging occurs in the
cytoplasm
 PBVC-1/ Chlorella virus

• PBVC-1 infects chlorella algae strain NC64A

or Pbi.
• Chlorella algae are small, spherical,
unicellular, nonmotile, asexual reproducing
green algae.
• Hereditary endosymbionts in protozoan P.
bursaria - resistant to viral infection when
in symbiotic relationship.
• PBCV-1 - linear nonintegrated genome
– 16 classes of virus
• Virus attaches to agal cell wall with
hexagonal vertices, digests the wall
releases viral DNA into cell.
• Packaging and assembly of virions takes
place in cytoplasm virus released by
localized cell wall lysis
EsV & FsV- Brown algal viruses
• Ectocarpus virus (EsV) and
Feldmannia virus (FsV) infect
brown algae
• densely packed polyhedral viral
particles
• do not infect vegetative cells
• viral particles displace normal
reproductive cells producing
sterility
• Viral capsid assembly and DNA
packaging occur in the
cytoplasm after nuclear
membrane degeneration.
Small Viruses
• Heterosigma akashiwo nuclear
inclusion virus (HaNIV) and
Heterosigma akashiwo RNA virus
(HaRNAV) infect the algae
Heterosigma akashiwo
(Raphidophyceae) a toxic bloom-
forming microalgae
• Host specific - simultaneous
coinfection.
• HaRNAV 25 nm diameter
– polyhedral symmetry
• HaNIV 30 nm diameter
• replicates to high copy number (105)
before host lysis
– nonenveloped and hexagonal implying
icosahedral symmetry.
• Each virus forms a crystalline array
– Arrays located in different parts of cell.
• Conclusion:
• Need more research.
• We know very very little about the viruses that
infect algae.
• References:
• Van Etten J L, & Meints R H. Giant viruses infecting algae. Annual Review of
Microbiology 1999;53:447-494.
• Weinbauer M G, & Rassoulzadegan F. Are viruses driving microbial diversification
and diversity. Envirnmental Microbiology 2004; 6: 1-11.
• Lawrence J E. & Chan A M. A novel virus (HaNIV) causes lysis of the toxic bloom-
forming alga Heterosigma akashiwo (Raphidophyceae). Journal of Phycology 2001;
37:216-222.
• Tai V, Lawerence J E, Lang A S, Chan A M, Culley A I, Suttle C A. Characetrization
of HaRNAV, a single stranded RNA virus causing lysis of Heterosigma akashiwo
(Raphidophyceae). Journal of Phycology 2003; 39: 343-352.