Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39548345›Full record

ArticleNature microbiology2024

Metabolites from intact phage-infected Synechococcus chemotactically attract heterotrophic marine bacteria.

Richard J Henshaw, Jonathan Moon, Michael R Stehnach, Benjamin P Bowen, Suzanne M Kosina, Trent R Northen, Jeffrey S Guasto, Sheri A Floge

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Nature microbiology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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  6. Slower swimming promotes chemotactic encounters between bacteria and small phytoplankton.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025
    Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Richard J HenshawDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7053-9341
Jonathan MoonDepartment of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3593-5928
Michael R StehnachDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0302-4641
Benjamin P BowenEnvironmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1368-3958
Suzanne M KosinaEnvironmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2885-1248
Trent R NorthenEnvironmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Jeffrey S GuastoDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA. Jeffrey.Guasto@tufts.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8737-8767
Sheri A FlogeDepartment of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA. floges@wfu.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1996-3347

Funding

National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER-1554095National Science Foundation (NSF) CBET-1710392National Science Foundation (NSF) OCE-1829827National Science Foundation (NSF) OCE-1829905
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chemical cues mediate interactions between marine phytoplankton and bacteria, underpinning ecosystem-scale processes including nutrient cycling and carbon fixation. Phage infection alters host metabolism, stimulating the release of chemical cues from intact plankton, but how these dynamics impact ecology and biogeochemistry is poorly understood. Here we determine the impact of phage infection on dissolved metabolite pools from marine cyanobacteria and the subsequent chemotactic response of heterotrophic bacteria using time-resolved metabolomics and microfluidics. Metabolites released from intact, phage-infected Synechococcus elicited strong chemoattraction from Vibrio alginolyticus and Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis, especially during early infection stages. Sustained bacterial chemotaxis occurred towards live-infected Synechococcus, contrasted by no discernible chemotaxis towards uninfected cyanobacteria. High-throughput microfluidics identified 5'-deoxyadenosine and 5'-methylthioadenosine as key attractants. Our findings establish that, before lysis, phage-infected picophytoplankton release compounds that attract motile heterotrophic bacteria, suggesting a mechanism for resource transfer that might impact carbon and nutrient fluxes across trophic levels.

Indexed as

BacteriophagesChemotaxisHeterotrophic ProcessesPseudoalteromonasSeawaterSynechococcusDeoxyadenosinesMetabolomicsPhytoplanktonThionucleosidesVibrio alginolyticusDeoxyadenosinesThionucleosides

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.