in silico Analysis of Phycodnaviridae Tetrapyrrole Enzymes: Subcellular Localization and Functional Divergence from Host Homologs

RationaleRecent viral metagenomic studies have identified a plethora of enzyme-encoding genes in Phycodnaviridae viruses that are not strictly required for viral replication. These enzymes hold an unexpected metabolic potential during the infection process with their specific green algae host. As neither their role in the infection process nor the subcellular localization of these proteins has been experimentally characterized, comparative sequences, structural and biochemical in silico analyses can help generate functional and localization hypotheses. MethodsIn a recent viral metagenomic dataset, we identified a collection of viral homologs involved in bilin biosynthesis: heme oxygenase (vHMOX1) and Phycocyanobilin:Ferredoxin oxidoreductase (vPcyA). Viral and algal homologues were compared through sequence analyses and AlphaFold3 structural predictions. Predicted biochemical properties were analyzed for their compatibility with subcellular compartments. Active site architecture and putative substrate binding were compared between viral and algal proteins using AlphaFold3 and experimentally resolved structures. ResultsViral HMOX1 and PcyA sequences are truncated compared to algal homologs, lacking the N-terminal extension associated with chloroplast targeting. However biochemical properties, including isoelectric point and surface charge distribution, are compatible with localization in chloroplast stroma. Structural comparisons reveal modifications in the viral HMOX1 active site, including partial substrate reorientation and substitutions of key residues, consistent with modified heme-binding properties. In contrast, vPcyA models show no significant differences to their algal counterparts. ConclusionsActive site remodeling in vHMOX1 protein models suggests that these viral homologues may have evolved distinct heme-binding properties. Unlike vPcyA, vHMOX1 homologs appear to have diverged more substantially from their algal counterparts, potentially reflecting functional specialization in the viral infection context. One sentence summary of key findingsOur bioinformatic analyses expand the repertoire of auxiliary metabolic genes in Phycodnaviridae by identifying a conserved heme degradation pathway, non-canonical vHMOX1/PcyA targeting and structural rearrangements surrounding the catalytic sites of viral HMOX1.