Going viral: next generation sequencing applied to human gut phage populations

Over the past decade researchers have begun to characterize viral diversity using metagenomic methods. These studies have shown that viruses, the majority of which infect bacteria (bacteriophages), are likely the most genetically diverse components of the biosphere. Here we briefly review the incipi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature reviews. Microbiology 2012-08, Vol.10 (9), p.607-617
Main Authors: Reyes, Alejandro, Semenkovich, Nicholas P., Whiteson, Katrine, Rohwer, Forest, Gordon, Jeffrey I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Over the past decade researchers have begun to characterize viral diversity using metagenomic methods. These studies have shown that viruses, the majority of which infect bacteria (bacteriophages), are likely the most genetically diverse components of the biosphere. Here we briefly review the incipient rise of a phage biology renaissance catalyzed by recent advances in next generation sequencing. We explore how work characterizing phage diversity and their lifestyles in the gut is changing our view of ourselves as supra-organisms. Finally, we discuss how a new appreciation of phage dynamics may yield new applications for phage therapies designed to manipulate the structure and functions of our gut microbiomes.
ISSN:1740-1526
1740-1534
DOI:10.1038/nrmicro2853