Algal viruses with distinct intraspecies host specificities include identical intein elements

Heterosigma akashiwo virus (HaV) is a large double-stranded DNA virus infecting the single-cell bloom-forming raphidophyte (golden brown alga) H. akashiwo. A molecular phylogenetic sequence analysis of HaV DNA polymerase showed that it forms a sister group with Phycodnaviridae algal viruses. All 10 examined HaV strains, which had distinct intraspecies host specificities, included an intein (protein intron) in their DNA polymerase genes. The 232-amino-acid inteins differed from each other by no more than a single nucleotide change. All inteins were present at the same conserved position, coding for an active-site motif, which also includes inteins in mimivirus (a very large double-stranded DNA virus of amoebae) and in several archaeal DNA polymerase genes. The HaV intein is closely related to the mimivirus intein, and both are apparently monophyletic to the archaeal inteins. These observations suggest the occurrence of horizontal transfers of inteins between viruses of different families and between archaea and viruses and reveal that viruses might be reservoirs and intermediates in horizontal transmissions of inteins. The homing endonuclease domain of the HaV intein alleles is mostly deleted. The mechanism keeping their sequences basically identical in HaV strains specific for different hosts is yet unknown. One possibility is that rapid and local changes in the HaV genome change its host specificity. This is the first report of inteins found in viruses infecting eukaryotic algae.