Abstract
Cyanobacteria exhibit biological rhythms as an adaptation to the daily light-dark (diel) cycle. Light is also crucial for bacteriophages (cyanophages) that infect cyanobacteria. As the first step of infection, the adsorption of some cyanophages to their host cells is light-dependent. Moreover, cyanophage replication is affected by light intensity and possibly the host cell cycle. Photosynthesis and carbon metabolism genes have been found in cyanophage genomes. With these genes, cyanophages may affect the host metabolic rhythm. Field studies suggest that cyanophage infection of cyanobacteria in aquatic environments is synchronized directly or indirectly to the light-dark cycle. These discoveries are beginning to reveal how the daily light-dark cycle shapes the interaction of cyanophages and cyanobacteria, which eventually influences matter and energy transformation in aquatic environments.
Highlights
The cyanobacteria are a large and diverse group of microorganisms that are typically oxygenic photoautotrophs
The importance of light to cyanophages was reviewed by Clokie and Mann (2006) 10 years ago, and here we review the progress in the past 10 years with a focus on cyanophage infection of Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus under daily light-dark cycles
Cyanobacteria exhibit biological rhythms as an adaptation to the natural daily light-dark cycle, with many biological processes connected by the circadian clock into a cellular network (Shultzaberger et al, 2015)
Summary
Cyanobacteria exhibit biological rhythms as an adaptation to the daily light-dark (diel) cycle. As the first step of infection, the adsorption of some cyanophages to their host cells is light-dependent. Cyanophage replication is affected by light intensity and possibly the host cell cycle. Photosynthesis and carbon metabolism genes have been found in cyanophage genomes With these genes, cyanophages may affect the host metabolic rhythm. Field studies suggest that cyanophage infection of cyanobacteria in aquatic environments is synchronized directly or indirectly to the light-dark cycle. These discoveries are beginning to reveal how the daily light-dark cycle shapes the interaction of cyanophages and cyanobacteria, which eventually influences matter and energy transformation in aquatic environments.
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