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| Cyanophages infecting the oceanic cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus |
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| Author(s): Sullivan MB, Waterbury JB, Chisholm SW |
| Source: NATURE Volume: 424 Issue: 6952 Pages: 1047-1051 Published: AUG 28 2003 |
| Times Cited: 89 References: 29 |
| Abstract: Prochlorococcus is the numerically dominant phototroph in the tropical and subtropical oceans, accounting for half of the photosynthetic biomass in some areas(1,2). Here we report the isolation of cyanophages that infect Prochlorococcus, and show that although some are host-strain-specific, others cross-infect with closely related marine Synechococcus as well as between high-light-and low-light-adapted Prochlorococcus isolates, suggesting a mechanism for horizontal gene transfer. Highlight-adapted Prochlorococcus hosts yielded Podoviridae exclusively, which were extremely host-specific, whereas low-light-adapted Prochlorococcus and all strains of Synechococcus yielded primarily Myoviridae, which has a broad host range. Finally, both Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus strain-specific cyanophage titres were low (< 10(3) ml(-1)) in stratified oligotrophic waters even where total cyanobacterial abundances were high (> 10(5) cells ml(-1)). These low titres in areas of high total host cell abundance seem to be a feature of open ocean ecosystems. We hypothesize that gradients in cyanobacterial population diversity, growth rates, and/or the incidence of lysogeny underlie these trends. |
| Document Type: Article |
| Language: English |
| Reprint Address: Chisholm, SW (reprint author), MIT, Dept Civil & Environm Engn, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA |
Addresses:
1. MIT, Dept Civil & Environm Engn, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
2. MIT, Woods Hole Oceanog Inst, Joint Program Biol Oceanog, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
3. MIT, Dept Biol, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
4. Woods Hole Oceanog Inst, Dept Biol, Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA |
| Publisher: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP, MACMILLAN BUILDING, 4 CRINAN ST, LONDON N1 9XW, ENGLAND |
| Subject Category: Multidisciplinary Sciences |
| IDS Number: 715QR |
| ISSN: 0028-0836 |
| DOI: 10.1038/nature01929 |
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