Name: Shannon Williamson

Email: swilliamson@jcvi.org

Author: Shannon J. Williamson

Author affiliation: J. Craig Venter Institute

Abstract title: Viral (meta)genomics: There's more than one way to skin a cat.

Absstract:

Viral metagenomic studies conducted over the past decade have revealed a staggering level of viral diversity in a variety of environments and have caused a paradigm shift in our understanding of how viruses influence host physiology and evolution. The vast majority of viral metagenomic studies have focused on dsDNA viruses, with little attention directed towards viruses with alternative nucleic acid compositions, despite their potential significance in natural ecosystems. In addition, the assembly and interpretation of viral metagenomic data is often compromised due to the lack of whole genome sequence data from environmentally relevant viruses in public databases. In order to address these two main issues, our group has established methods to 1) Efficiently separate and recover dsDNA, ssDNA and RNA viral nucleic acids from a individual environmental samples; and 2) Capture single virus particles directly from the environment, without prior cultivation, and perform whole genome amplification in preparation of sequencing (referred to as Single Virus Genomics). The development of these technologies and their application to marine virioplankton samples will be discussed.