Viruses buoy life at hydrothermal vents
Using hijacked genes, the infectious agents help bacteria generate energy
By Beth Mole
In the deep, dark ocean, viruses have won safe harbor through thievery.
With stolen genes that make sulfur-digesting enzymes, viruses provide metabolic backup to bacteria feasting on the sulfur plumes of hydrothermal vents, researchers propose May 1 in Science. In return, the viruses secure a host in the harsh depths of the sea.
Though the oceans are rife with bacteria-infecting viruses, called bacteriophage, researchers know little about the ones that invade sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. These bacteria are key sources of energy for organisms that live in hydrothermal vents. But the bacteria are difficult to study because they don’t grow in labs.