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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, March 2002, p. 1290-1296, Vol. 68, No. 3
0099-2240/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.68.3.1290-1296.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Sequence Analysis of Marine Virus Communities Reveals that Groups of Related Algal Viruses Are Widely Distributed in Nature

Departments of Earth and Ocean Sciences,¹ Microbiology and Immunology,¹ Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V6T 1Z4¹

Received 29 August 2001/ Accepted 10 December 2001

Algal-virus-specific PCR primers were used to amplify DNA polymerase (pol) gene fragments from geographically isolated natural virus communities. Natural algal virus communities were obtained from coastal sites in the Pacific Ocean in British Columbia, Canada, and the Southern Ocean near the Antarctic peninsula. Genetic fingerprints of algal virus communities were generated using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Sequencing efforts recovered 33 sequences from the gradient gel. Of the 33 sequences examined, 25 encoded a conserved amino acid motif indicating that the sequences were pol gene fragments. Furthermore, the 25 pol sequences were related to pol gene fragments from known algal viruses. In addition, similar virus sequences (>98% sequence identity) were recovered from British Columbia and Antarctica. Results from this study demonstrate that DGGE with degenerate primers can be used to qualitatively fingerprint and assess genetic diversity in specific subsets of natural virus communities and that closely related viruses occur in distant geographic locations. DGGE is a powerful tool for genetically fingerprinting natural virus communities and may be used to examine how specific components of virus communities respond to experimental manipulations.

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