Location: 2203 SAS Hall, NC State Main Campus

Title: Cracking the Code of the Unknown Virosphere: Detecting the Undetectable.

Presenter:  Bonnie Hurwitz (BRC-NCSU)

Abstract: Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth and infect all major clades of life, including bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes. During infection, viruses can influence host biology, evolution, and ecosystem dynamics; however, 90% of viral DNA in natural communities is unknown, limiting our understanding of host, bacterial, and viral interactions in diverse ecosystems. To explore these novel viral communities, we are developing new tools and methods using machine learning and natural language processing to examine and interrelate viral and microbial communities with their environmental contexts in unprecedented depth and detail. Here, I describe work in my lab to develop new capabilities in (i) viral sequence detection using composition-based pattern detection and machine learning, and (ii) emerging biological stories in how we are using these tools to find novel viruses in the gut microbiome. These new approaches provide exciting avenues to find novel viruses and explore their interactions with diverse hosts and ecosystems without being limited to the known fraction of the viral population.