Large-scale distribution fo virome along the thermohaline circulation

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K12189
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Environmental dynamic analysis
• Research Institution: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: YOKOKAWA Taichi 国立研究開発法人海洋研究開発機構, 海洋生命理工学研究開発センター, 研究員 (00402751)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): YAMADA Namiha 国立研究開発法人産業技術総合研究所, 環境管理技術研究部門, 主任研究員 (90435769) ; NAGATA Toshi 東京大学, 大気海洋研究所, 教授 (40183892)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 深海微生物生態 / ウイルス組成

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We examined the distribution pattern of viral communities of deep-water samples along the “Thermohaline circulation (transit time: 1500 years; distance: 40000km)” in the Atlantic and the Pacific. We used a novel viromic approach, which is a combination of flowcytometer-sorting technique and whole genome amplification, to produce dsDNA-enriched viromic libraries from a 1-mL water sample. Using this approach on the environmental samples, we managed to produce nine libraries from the Atlantic samples and seven libraries form the Pacific samples. All the libraries composed of 12 broad taxonomic groups. Taxonomic compositions among the samples were different and changed dynamically along the thermohaline circulation. Our data demonstrate that viral taxonomic compositions are useful parameters for examining the dynamics of viral communities and the host-virus system in the ecosystem of the deep ocean realm.

Free Research Field

微生物海洋学