Name: Willie Wilson

Email: wwilson@bigelow.org

Author: Willie Wilson

Author affiliation:

Abstract title: Coccolithoviruses: Life and death after genome sequencing

Absstract:

The virus genus Coccolithovirus (Cocco: derived from Greek kokkis, meaning berry or grain referring to their shape and Lith: from Greek Lithos, meaning stone) is a group of large, double stranded DNA viruses that infect the globally important marine coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi. The first observation of virus-like particles in E. huxleyi was reported back in 1974 though they are now known to be one of the causative agents of E. huxleyi bloom demise. We sequenced the 407,339 bp genome of one coccolithovirus and revealed that only 14% of the predicted genes confer any significant database homology. Here we will present some of our recent data since sequencing to include: proteomics; virus sphingolipid pathway function; environmental genomics; role of phosphate availability on infection; grazing of infected cells and, if I have time, I will present an overview of a mesocosm experiment carried out in June 2008. All in all, a real hotch potch of data but hopefully it will start to tell us something about this intriguing virus.