{
  "abstract": "Deep-sea polymetallic nodule provinces host distinct benthic prokaryotic communities, yet viruses that regulate them remain largely unknown. Here, we established the viral genome dataset of the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, the world's largest deep-sea mineral exploration region, to investigate viral diversity and ecological functions. Protein-sharing network and phylogenetic analyses showed extensive benthic viral diversity, with over 99% of viral clusters not represented in current reference databases. Inferred virus-host associations suggest that viral infections span a broad range of prokaryotic lineages involved in carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and metal cycling. By infecting key functional microbes and encoding auxiliary metabolic genes, viruses may modulate host metabolism and survival during infection, with potential implications for biogeochemical processes in polymetallic nodule field sediments. Moreover, gene exchange analyses indicate the potential of viruses to facilitate host adaptation to metal stress. These findings provide insights into the ecological roles of viruses in the polymetallic nodule province, establishing a vital pre-mining baseline of microbial ecosystem for future environmental impact assessments.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.",
    "State Key Laboratory of Submarine Geoscience, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China.",
    "Key Laboratory of Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China. lilanzhang@cqu.edu.cn.",
    "State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China. lilanzhang@cqu.edu.cn.",
    "State Key Laboratory of Submarine Geoscience, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China. sund@sio.org.cn.",
    "Key Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou, China. sund@sio.org.cn.",
    "Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China. sund@sio.org.cn."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Bowen Hou",
      "orcid": "0009-0000-2655-2573"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Lilan Zhang",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1789-4920"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5,
        6
      ],
      "name": "Dong Sun",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6666-1480"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cndk8rxn302ps.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41467-026-78161-0",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13720004",
  "id": "cndk8rxn302ps",
  "issns": [
    "2041-1723"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42957726",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2303|Bacteriophages and microbial interactions"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214760758",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13720004?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13720004",
  "pmid": "42957726",
  "published": "2026-09-29",
  "publisher": "Nature Publishing Group",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cndk8rxn302ps.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-01T00:20:44Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42957726",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42957726"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-02T12:23:52Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13720004",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78161-0"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2303|Bacteriophages and microbial interactions",
      "subfield": "ecology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Viral diversity and ecological functions in the world's largest deep-sea mineral exploration region.",
  "title_text": "Viral diversity and ecological functions in the world's largest deep-sea mineral exploration region.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-03T12:20:58Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/cndk8rxn302ps",
  "venue": "Nature communications",
  "versions": []
}