Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis of virus assemblages present in a hypersaline environment

Authors

  • Beatriz Díez Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institute of Marine Sciences, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
  • Josefa Antón Division for Microbiology, University of Alicante, Spain
  • Núria Guixa-Boixereu Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institute of Marine Sciences, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
  • Carlos Pedrós-Alió Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institute of Marine Sciences, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
  • Francisco Rodríguez-Valera

Keywords:

virus assemblages, halophage, haloarchaea, pulsed-field gel

Abstract

A method for analyzing virus assemblages in aquatic environments was developed and used for studying the highest-salinity ponds (from 13.4 to 35% salinity) from a multi-pond solar saltern in Alicante, Spain. The protocol consisted of a series of concentration and purification steps including tangential flow filtration and ultracentrifugation, followed by the preparation of total viral nucleic acids that were subsequently separated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. For every sample analyzed, a characteristic DNA pattern was obtained, whose complexity was related to viral diversity. The comparison of our results with a similar analysis carried out with marine virus assemblages shows that, as expected, the viral diversity corresponding to the analyzed hypersaline environment is considerably lower than that of a marine environment.

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Published

2010-03-14

Issue

Section

Research Articles