The Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

2027 Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

January 12-15, 2027

A global atlas of deep-sea cold seep viruses uncovers extensive genomic novelty and biotechnological potential
ID:1454 Poster Presentation

2027-01-15 18:45 (China Standard Time)

Session:Session 82 - Deep Ocean Microbiomes and Ecosystems⎯⎯Biodiversity and Ecological Processes in a Changing Climate

Abstract
Cold seeps are globally distributed deep-sea ecosystems harboring diverse chemosynthetic microbial communities, yet their viral components remain poorly understood. Here, we establish the Global Cold Seep Virome, a comprehensive catalog of 191,937 species-level viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs) and 2.44 million viral protein clusters reconstructed from 314 metagenomes spanning 18 cold seep sites worldwide. Most vOTUs are distinct from those in existing environmental viromes, suggesting that cold seeps harbor a largely unexplored viral reservoir. Host prediction identified diverse viral associations with key prokaryotes such as anaerobic methanotrophic archaea, while protein annotation further reveals widespread uncharacterized proteins and ecologically specialized hallmark genes. We also identify putative auxiliary metabolic genes, anti-defense proteins, and lysins, and experimentally validate representative anti-defense proteins and lysins with strong activities. This resource expands current knowledge of deep-sea viral diversity and provides a foundation for studying virus-host interactions, biogeochemistry, and biotechnological potential in cold seep ecosystems.
 
Speaker
Xiaomei Guo Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources

Author
Xiaomei Guo Key Laboratory of Marine Genetic Resources, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources

    Important Dates

    • Jan 30

      2026

      Session / Event proposals open

    • Mar 31

      2026

      Session / Event proposals close
      (Extended to April 7)

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Session acceptance notifications

    • Apr 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions & registration open

    • Jun 30

      2026

      Abstract submissions close
      (Extended to July 21)

    • Aug 31

      2026

      Abstract acceptance notifications

    • Sep 15

      2026

      Scientific program released

    • Oct 15

      2026

      Early bird registration closes

    • Jan 12–15

      2027

      XMAS 2027