A novel method was developed for virus-like particle (VLP) extraction and characterization from biological soil crust (BSC) after microbial community reactivation. The method consisted of a single cell analysis by flow cytometry to monitor viable cells in BSC reactivated under controlled hydration, temperature, and light/dark exposure. Then, VLPs were extracted from reactivated BSCs, followed by viral DNA extraction and shotgun metagenomic analysis. The hydrated BSC under light/dark conditions showed the highest number of viable cells, and this condition was optimal for VLPs isolation. Taxonomic composition showed that families of the order of Caudovirales (Podoviridae, Myoviridae and Syphoviridiae) were the most abundant double strand DNA phages while Microviridiae were the most abundant single strand DNA phages. The isolated VLPs also carried sequences of relevant bacterial inhabiting soil. The functional categories of “phages, prophages, transposable elements, plasmids” and “clustering-base subsystem” were abundant (38 and 12%, respectively). All these data suggest viral predation as a key factor in shaping and maintaining bacterial diversity in the BSCs.

开发了一种新的方法，用于从微生物群落活化后的生物土壤地壳（BSC）中提取病毒样颗粒（VLP）并进行表征。该方法包括通过流式细胞术进行单细胞分析，以监测在受控水合作用，温度和明/暗暴露条件下重新活化的BSC中的活细胞。然后，从重新激活的BSC中提取VLP，然后进行病毒DNA提取和shot弹枪宏基因组分析。在明/暗条件下，水合的BSC的活细胞数量最多，该条件对于VLP分离是最佳的。分类学组成表明，拟病毒科的家族（Podoviridae，Myoviridae和Syphoviridiae）是最丰富的双链DNA噬菌体。Microviridiae是最丰富的单链DNA噬菌体。分离的VLP还带有相关细菌居住土壤的序列。“噬菌体，噬菌体，转座因子，质粒”和“聚类基础子系统”的功能类别非常丰富（分别为38％和12％）。所有这些数据表明，病毒捕食是形成和维持BSC中细菌多样性的关键因素。