NOAA 'Omics Seminar Series (November 8, 2023): Interpreting Virus Dynamics in Marine Holobionts

Date: November 8, 2023
Title: Detecting and Interpreting Virus Diversity and Dynamics in Marine Holobionts
Presenter: Dr. Alex J. Veglia
Abstract: Marine holobionts are comprised of an animal host and symbiotic microorganisms, which may include protists (e.g., dinoflagellates, apicomplexans), fungi, bacteria, archaea, and viruses. The community composition of these symbionts and the interactions occurring between them can significantly impact emergent animal phenotypes, such as stress or disease resilience. Viruses exhibit a multifaceted interaction spectrum within animal holobionts, having potentially positive, negative, or neutral functional contributions to host biology. Despite the persistent methodological challenges in investigating viruses and their impact on marine holobionts, the application of diverse 'omics techniques has proven essential in advancing our understanding of viruses within these complex systems. In this seminar, we will explore the application of high-throughput 'omics approaches to study viruses within coral reef organisms. First, we will illustrate the use of endogenous virus elements in host genomes to better understand the ecology of an enigmatic Symbiodiniaceae-infecting RNA virus (‘dinoRNAV’) associated with cnidarian tissues. Next, we will introduce 'vAMPirus' (github.com/Aveglia/vAMPirus), a new bioinformatic tool for analyzing viral amplicon sequence data and showcase its utility in investigating environmental reservoirs of dinoRNAV on a Pacific coral reef. Finally, we will provide an overview of metatranscriptomics and its role in elucidating the contribution of viruses to stony coral tissue loss disease. Overall, this seminar will encompass diverse 'omics approaches for studying viruses in marine holobionts, offering valuable insights for future investigations.