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Plasticizers determine a deeper reshape of soil virome than microplastics
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Researchers compared how microplastics and the common plasticizer diethyl phthalate independently affect soil viral communities, finding that the plasticizer caused a much more dramatic shift in viral diversity than the plastic particles themselves. Diethyl phthalate exposure led to a three-fold increase in viral genetic material and triggered widespread activation of dormant viruses within soil bacteria. The findings suggest that the chemical additives leaching from plastics may pose a greater threat to soil ecosystems than the physical plastic particles.
• Diethyl phthalate exposure led to a 3.15-fold increase in soil viral sequences, exceeding changes caused by microplastics. • Viral diversity and auxiliary metabolic gene abundance were significantly enriched under DP contamination. • The phage-encoded 3-oxoadipate enol-lactonase gene emerged as critical for phthalate degradation. • DP exposure induced distinct virus-host interactions, including widespread prophage induction. Viruses play a crucial role in shaping local and global biogeochemical cycles, supporting bacterial survival in diverse environments by encoding auxiliary metabolic genes involved in energy acquisition, stress tolerance, and the degradation of organics. However, how plastic pollution influences soil viromes remains largely unexplored, in particular when microplastics and plasticizers are involved in the process. In this study, we conducted an incubation experiment where soil samples from rice fields were exposed to microplastics—polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride and the plasticizer diethyl phthalate to assess their effects on viral communities. After controlled incubation, second- and third-generation sequencing, along with advanced bioinformatics, were used to determine whether viral taxa were impacted by these contaminants. Our results revealed that diethyl phthalate exposure led to a 3.15-fold increase in the proportion of viral sequences in the treated samples compared to control soils, significantly surpassing the modest increases observed for polyethylene (13.08%) and polyvinyl chloride (48.59%). These shifts were accompanied by changes in viral diversity, functional gene content, and virus-host interactions. Notably, we identified virus-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes, such as the 3-oxoadipate enol-lactonase (PcaD) gene, which are critical for phthalate degradation. This finding underscores the direct role of phages in facilitating microbial adaptation and pollutant degradation in contaminated soils, suggesting that viral auxiliary metabolic genes could be harnessed for targeted bioremediation strategies to mitigate the environmental impact of plastic pollutants.
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