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Viruses
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Cyanophage and Algal Virus
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Cyanophage and Algal Virus

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Viruses of Plants, Fungi and Protozoa".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 914

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Rodrigo Araújo Lima Rodrigues

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Interests: aquatic viruses; algae viruses; phycodnaviruses; cyanophages; genomics; evolution; virus–host interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, we have observed a growing interest in aquatic viruses and their impact on basic and applied virology. Since the early 1960s, viruses that infect cyanobacteria, or cyanophages, have been isolated and characterized, and we have learned a great deal about their impact on diversity and environmental dynamics, especially in eliminating harmful algal blooms. In the early 1980s, viruses that infect eukaryotic algae were isolated, which paved the way for exciting discoveries that expanded our knowledge of the diversity and complexity of the virosphere, including giant algal viruses. Today, in the age of omics, a wealth of evidence points to the remarkable distribution and diversity of cyanophages and algal viruses across the globe. Efforts to identify these viruses and study their biology, genomics, ecology, and evolution through innovative approaches will open new windows for advances in this field.

In this Special Issue, we aim to compile the latest research on aquatic viruses, with a particular focus on cyanophages and algal viruses. We welcome the submission of original research and review articles that cover different topics, including the description of new viruses, elucidation of virion structure, genomics and evolutionary aspects of aquatic viruses, viral ecology, and the impact of these viruses in different environments. We strive to present a comprehensive collection of up-to-date research in this broad and fascinating field of virology.

Dr. Rodrigo Araújo Lima Rodrigues
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cyanophages
  • algal viruses
  • Algavirales
  • Phycodnaviridae
  • Marnaviridae
  • aquatic virus
  • algae bloom
  • viral diversity
  • viral ecology

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

18 pages, 5221 KiB  
Article
New Isolates of Betachloroviruses Shed Light on the Diversity and Biological Complexity of an Unexplored Group of Giant Algal Viruses
by Júlia W. Souza, Lethícia R. Henriques, Roger M. Carlson, Bruna B. F. Botelho, João Victor R. P. Carvalho, João Pedro N. Santos, Eric R. G. R. Aguiar, Irina V. Agarkova, James L. Van Etten, David D. Dunigan and Rodrigo A. L. Rodrigues
Viruses 2025, 17(8), 1096; https://doi.org/10.3390/v17081096 - 8 Aug 2025
Viewed by 313
Abstract
The majority of giant algal viruses belong to the family Phycodnaviridae, class Algavirales, phylum Nucleocytoviricota. Among them, the genus Chlorovirus is the most studied, with three recognized groups based on genomics and host range, although many fundamental questions remain to [...] Read more.
The majority of giant algal viruses belong to the family Phycodnaviridae, class Algavirales, phylum Nucleocytoviricota. Among them, the genus Chlorovirus is the most studied, with three recognized groups based on genomics and host range, although many fundamental questions remain to be elucidated, particularly regarding their diversity. In this study, we focus on betachloroviruses, a poorly explored subgroup that infects the alga Micractinium conductrix Pbi. Here, we describe the isolation and genomic analysis of 11 new betachloroviruses from water samples collected in Nebraska, USA. With 25 fully sequenced genomes now available, we assessed the genomic diversity of these viruses. They have double-stranded DNA genomes ranging from 295 to 374 kbp, encoding hundreds of ORFs, of which a large number (~40%) lack known function. Comparative genomics and phylogenetic analyses revealed three species of betachlorovirus, each with high intra-species genomic identity. Notably, some isolates with over 99.5% genomic identity display markedly different plaque phenotypes, which led us to propose the use of the term genomovar among giant algal viruses, a concept potentially applicable to other giant viral groups yet to be explored. Altogether, this work advances our understanding of betachloroviruses and highlights the importance of linking viral genotype to phenotype, opening new avenues for exploring the diversity of giant algal viruses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cyanophage and Algal Virus)
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