Metagenomic diversity of double-stranded DNA bacteriophages in the North Sea

Bacteriophages are the most dominant and widespread type of virus in the marine environment, contributing significantly to biogeochemical cycling, microbial evolution, and the structuring of planktonic communities. This study aims to investigate the diversity of double-stranded DNA bacteriophages in the North Sea through metagenomic analysis. Bioinformatic techniques were employed for taxonomic annotations of the bacteriophages and to predict potential protein gene sequences carried by these viral entities, as well as their associated bacterial host taxa. The results show highly variable and diverse bacteriophage communities across nine sampling locations in the North Sea. Viral communities were primarily dominated by unclassified phages. Among the identified bacteriophages, the families Autographividae, Zobellviridae, Kyanoviridae, and Mesyanzhinovviridae, belonging to the class Caudoviricetes , exhibited prominent prevalence in the North Sea sampling locations. Furthermore, the predicted bacterial host taxa were found to be predominantly associated with the phyla Pesudomonadota, Bacilliota, Cyanobacteriota, and Bacteroidota. This study provides the first insight into the distribution and occurrence of these bacteriophage families in the North Sea, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the North Sea viromes.