Abstract:
The Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve in the Cape Floral Kingdom in South Africa is known for its unique
plant biodiversity. The potential presence of unique microbial and viral biodiversity associated with this
unique plant biodiversity led us to explore the fynbos soil using metaviromic techniques. In this study,
metaviromes of a soil community from the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve has been characterised in
detail for the first time. Metaviromic DNA was recovered from soil and sequenced by Next Generation
Sequencing. The MetaVir, MG-RAST and VIROME bioinformatics pipelines were used to analyse
taxonomic composition, phylogenetic and functional assessments of the sequences. Taxonomic
composition revealed members of the order Caudovirales, in particular the family Siphoviridae, as
prevalent in the soil samples and other compared viromes. Functional analysis and other metaviromes
showed a relatively high frequency of phage-related and structural proteins. Phylogenetic analysis of
PolB, PolB2, terL and T7gp17 genes indicated that many viral sequences are closely related to the order
Caudovirales, while the remainder were distinct from known isolates. The use of single virome which
only includes double stranded DNA viruses limits this study. Novel phage sequences were detected,
presenting an opportunity for future studies aimed at targeting novel genetic resources for applied
biotechnology.
