摘要
      肠道病毒群是多种共生和致病病毒的宿主，它们与宿主共同进化，但对高地稀有物种的肠道病毒群的研究有限。利用病毒宏基因组分析方法，对青藏高原的无头蜥蜴的病毒群落进行了调查。分析噬菌体编码的功能基因和抗生素抗性基因。不同蜥蜴物种的病毒群落都以噬菌体为主，尤其是尾科。生活在Namtso湖周围的红鲷病毒组具有独特的结构，其细小病毒科的数量最多，独特的病毒物种数量最多。发现了几种脊椎动物感染病毒，包括杯状病毒、星形病毒和细小病毒。系统发育分析表明，噬菌体的病毒标志基因具有较高的遗传多样性。在功能注释后，大多数噬菌体相关的功能基因被分类在能量代谢类别中。此外，还发现了大量属于多药类的ARGs，其中5个ARGs是白头翁病毒组的专属ARGs。这项研究首次深入了解了高地蜥蜴病毒组的结构和功能，有助于保护受威胁的蜥蜴物种。此外，我们的研究对蜥蜴物种和其他冷血动物和高地动物的肠道病毒组研究具有示范意义，有助于更好地了解共生病毒的种间差异和传播。
ABSTRACT
The gut virome is a reservoir of diverse symbiotic and pathogenic viruses coevolving with their hosts, and yet limited research has explored the gut viromes of highland-dwelling rare species. Using viral metagenomic analysis, the viral communities of the Phrynocephalus lizards living in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were investigated. Phage-encoded functional genes and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were analyzed. The viral communities of different lizard species were all predominated by bacteriophages, especially the Caudovirales order. The virome of Phrynocephalus erythrurus living around the Namtso Lake possessed a unique structure, with the greatest abundance of the Parvoviridae family and the highest number of exclusive viral species. Several vertebrate-infecting viruses were discovered, including caliciviruses, astroviruses, and parvoviruses. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the virus hallmark genes of bacteriophages possessed high genetic diversity. After functional annotation, the majority of phage-associated functional genes were classified in the energy metabolism category. In addition, plenty of ARGs belonging to the multidrug category were discovered, and five ARGs were exclusive to the virome from Phrynocephalus theobaldi. This study provided the first insight into the structure and function of the virome in highland lizards, contributing to the protection of threatened lizard species. Also, our research is of exemplary significance for the gut virome research of lizard species and other cold-blooded and highland-dwelling animals, prompting a better understanding of the interspecific differences and transmission of commensal viruses.

https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/spectrum.01872-21