Totivirus–satellite coinfection prevalence and host genotype associations in wild Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Resource type
Journal Article
Status
Published
Recommended form of citation (APA)
Travers-Cook, T. J., Knight, S. J., Lee, S., Jucker, J., Schlegel, T., Jokela, J., Buser, C. C. (2025) Totivirus–satellite coinfection prevalence and host genotype associations in wild Saccharomyces cerevisiae. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 101(12), fiaf117. https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiaf117
Author(s)
Travers-Cook, Thommas J.
Knight, Sarah
Lee, Soon
Jucker, Jana
Schlegel, Tamara
Jokela, Jukka
External DOI
PHSG Organisation name
Project(s)
License Condition
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (International)
Proforis OA-status
Hybrid OA
Topic PHSG
Natur und Technik (NT)
Fields of Science and Technology (OECD)
Virology
Ecology
Biology (theoretical, mathematical, thermal, cryobiology, biological rhythm), Evolutionary biology
Genetics and heredity
Abstract
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is occasionally infected by dsRNA totiviruses and their toxin-encoding dsRNA satellite nucleic acids. The autonomous totivirus and its satellite can coexist but with an asymmetric dependence of the satellite on the totivirus for replication and maintenance inside the host cell. Satellites provide their yeast hosts with inhibitory toxins and the necessary self-immunity; loss of the satellite equates to loss of toxin immunity. Because these viral elements lack known extracellular stages, and sex is suspected to be rare, they are assumed to be transmitted vertically, implying that infection states should correlate with host genotypes. However, totivirus–satellite coinfections are rarely examined in natural populations, leaving their associations with host genotypes poorly understood. We screened a multiyear, vineyard-associated population of S. cerevisiae isolates from New Zealand to examine the stability of host–virus associations over time, both within and across genotypes. Over half of the wild isolates harbored infections (55%), but less than half of these (37% of infected) had toxin-encoding satellites. Genotypes that persisted across years typically maintained consistent infection states. However, we also observed stepwise transitions from coinfection through infection to an infection-free state, as well as acquisition of totiviruses and satellites. Genotypes clustered strongly by infection state, and population heterozygosity was significantly lower than expected, supporting vertical transmission while suggesting that outcrossing is not responsible for the acquisition of higher infection states. Despite occasional intragenotypic transitions, genotype clustering by infection state remained intact, suggesting that such transitions are transient and that host genotypes may have optimal infection states with regard to totiviruses and their satellites.
Additional Information
Publiziert im Rahmen des research grant ETH-23 20-1, zusammen mit dem ETHZ-Institute of Integrative Biology und dem Eawag-Departement of Aquatic Ecology
PHSG Organisation name
Project(s)
Version
Published Version
Access Rights
metadata only (bibliographisch)
License Condition
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (International)
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Author(s)