Isolation and Characterization of a Virus that Infects Emiliania huxleyi (Haptophyta)

Authors

Tonje Castberg, University of Bergen
Runar Thyrhaug, University of Bergen
Aud Larsen, University of Bergen
Ruth-Anne Sandaa, University of Bergen
Mikal Heldal, University of Bergen
James L. Van Etten, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Gunnar Bratbak, University of Bergen

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2002

Citation

Journal of Phycology (2002) 38(4): 767–774

doi: 10.1046/j.1529-8817.2002.02015.x

Comments

Copyright © 2002, Wiley. Used by permission

Abstract

The isolation and characterization of a virus (designated EhV) that infects the marine coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi (Lohmann) Hay & Mohler are described. Three independent clones of EhV were isolated from Norwegian coastal waters in years 1999 and 2000. EhV is a double-stranded DNA-containing virus with a genome size of ~415 kilo-base pairs. The viral particle is an icosahedron with a diameter of 160–180 nm. The virus particle contains at least nine proteins ranging from 10 to 140 kDa; the major capsid protein weighs ~54 kDa. EhV has a latent period of 12–14 h and a burst size of 400–1,000 (mean, 620) viral particles per cell. A phylogenetic tree based on DNA polymerase amino acid sequences indicates EhV should be assigned to the Phycodnaviridae virus family and that the virus is most closely related to viruses that infect Micromonas pusilla and certain Chlorella species.