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A truncated soil phage catechol 1,2-dioxygenase illustrates how viruses preserve and disseminate auxiliary catalytic functions in the soil microbiome

Wu, R.; Buchko, G. W.; Cort, J. R.; Reid, D. J.; Alfaro, T.; Schutz, M. M.; Liu, L.; Battaile, K. P.; Lovell, S.; McClure, R.; Hofmockel, K.

2026-03-26 microbiology
10.64898/2026.03.25.714067 bioRxiv
Show abstract

Bacteriophages can rewire host chemistry via auxiliary viral genes (AVGs). Using metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data from the native soil microbiome, we identified transcriptionally active AVGs, including a viral catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (V-C12DO). V-C12DO shares [~]40% sequence identity with its nearest bacterial homologs and lacks the helical dimerization domain. Despite truncation, V-C12DO retains more than [~]25% of the global consensus residues compared to C12DOs across domains of life, including the two tyrosines and two histidines that coordinate the non-heme Fe(III) active site. A 1.7 [A] crystal structure also showed the conservation of the canonical {beta}-sandwich scaffold for the iron. We next confirmed that V-C12DO cleaves catechol and remains highly active across a broad range of temperatures (30-60 {degrees}C), pH (5.5-9), and salinity (up to 2 M), exceeding those of known bacterial CD12Os. This work shows that truncated phage enzymes preserve the core catalytic chemistry and potentially further expand host metabolic versatility across dynamic environmental conditions.

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