Discovery, Prevalence, and Persistence of Novel Circular Single-Stranded DNA Viruses in the Ctenophores Mnemiopsis leidyi and Beroe ovata

Authors

Mya Breitbart, University of South FloridaFollow
Bayleigh Benner, University of South Florida
Parker Jernigan, University of South Florida
Karyna Rosario, University of South Florida
Laura Birsa, University of Georgia
Rachel Harbeitner, University of South Florida
Sidney Fulford, University of South Florida
Carina Graham, University of South Florida
Anna Walters, University of South Florida
Dawn Goldsmith, University of South Florida
Stella Berger, University of Georgia
Jens Nejstgaard, University of Georgia

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2015

Keywords

ctenophore, single-stranded DNA virus, CRESS-DNA virus, circular DNA virus, marine, gelatinous, plankton

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2015.01427

Abstract

Gelatinous zooplankton, such as ctenophores and jellyfish, are important components of marine and brackish ecosystems and play critical roles in aquatic biogeochemistry. As voracious predators of plankton, ctenophores have key positions in aquatic food webs and are often successful invaders when introduced to new areas. Gelatinous zooplankton have strong impacts on ecosystem services, particularly in coastal environments. However, little is known about the factors responsible for regulating population dynamics of gelatinous organisms, including biological interactions that may contribute to bloom demise. Ctenophores are known to contain specific bacterial communities and a variety of invertebrate parasites and symbionts; however, no previous studies have examined the presence of viruses in these organisms. Building upon recent studies demonstrating a diversity of single-stranded DNA viruses that encode a replication initiator protein (Rep) in aquatic invertebrates, this study explored the presence of circular, Rep-encoding single-stranded DNA (CRESS-DNA) viruses in the ctenophores Mnemiopsis leidyi and Beroe ovata collected from the Skidaway River Estuary and Savannah River in Georgia, USA. Using rolling circle amplification followed by restriction enzyme digestion, this study provides the first evidence of viruses in ctenophores. Investigation of four CRESS-DNA viruses over an 8-month period using PCR demonstrated temporal trends in viral prevalence and indicated that some of the viruses may persist in ctenophore populations throughout the year. Although future work needs to examine the ecological roles of these ctenophore-associated viruses, this study indicates that viral infection may play a role in population dynamics of gelatinous zooplankton.

Rights Information

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Was this content written or created while at USF?

Yes

Citation / Publisher Attribution

Frontiers in Microbiology, v. 6, art. 1427

Scholar Commons Citation

Breitbart, Mya; Benner, Bayleigh; Jernigan, Parker; Rosario, Karyna; Birsa, Laura; Harbeitner, Rachel; Fulford, Sidney; Graham, Carina; Walters, Anna; Goldsmith, Dawn; Berger, Stella; and Nejstgaard, Jens, "Discovery, Prevalence, and Persistence of Novel Circular Single-Stranded DNA Viruses in the Ctenophores Mnemiopsis leidyi and Beroe ovata" (2015). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 705.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/705