Viruses of symbiotic Chlorella-like algae isolated from Paramecium bursaria and Hydra viridis

Authors

James L. Van Etten, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Russel H. Meints, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Daniel Kuczmarski, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Dwight E. Burbank, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Kit Lee, University of Nebraska, Lincoln

ORCID IDs

James L. Van Etten

Date of this Version

1982

Comments

Published in Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA Microbiology Vol. 79, pp. 3867-3871, June 1982. Copyright National Academy of Sciences USA. Used by permission.

Abstract

We previously reported that isolation of symbiotic Chloreila-like algae from the Florida strain of Hydra viridis induced replication of a virus (designated HVCV-1) in the algae. We now report that isolation ofsymbiotic Chlorella-like algae from four other sources of green hydra and one source ofthe protozoan Paramecium bursaria also induced virus synthesis. Algae from one of these hydra contained a virus identical to HVCV-1 (based on its rate of sedimentation, buoyant density, reaction to HVCV-1 antiserum, and DNA restriction fragments) whereas algae from the other three hydra contained. another similar, but distinct, virus (designated HVCV-2). The virus from the paramecium algae (designated PBCV-1) was distinct from both HVCV-1 and HVCV-2. The symbiotic algae in the hydra could also be distinguished ultrastructurally. Chloroplasts of both algae that produced HVCV- 1 lacked a pyrenoid whereas chloroplasts of the other three symbiotic algae contained pyrenoids. Since all symbiotic eukaryotic algae we have examined have had virus, a potential viral role in symbiosis is suggested.