Nat MicrobiolJClub
A human gut-associated picobirnavirus establishes the Picobirnaviridae as the third clade of RNA bacteriophages.
Nature Microbiology · · Journal Article · Open access
Gan, Rosen + more
Abstract ↗AI summary
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Two human gut picobirnaviruses were shown to infect bacteria, establishing Picobirnaviridae as the third RNA phage clade alongside leviviruses and cystoviruses.
- Why it matters: PBVs are detected in human and animal guts and linked to diseases, but direct evidence for vertebrate infection and a way to culture them has been lacking.
- What they did: The study propagated two PBVs from human faeces in germ-free mice via faecal microbiota transplantation, cultured one PBV in an anaerobic gut bacterial community, and used RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization plus enrichment/sequencing to identify its host.
- The result: PBV RNA was detected inside bacterial cells, and sequencing of PBV RNA-containing cells linked one PBV to Candidatus Anaerotignum faecalis, enabling a mouse model and defining Picobirnaviridae as a distinct RNA phage clade.
The findingWhy it mattersWhat they didThe result
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