Viral BONCAT: Detection of HPG incorporation into newly synthesized viral proteins via proteomics

BONCAT was adapted and tested as a method for directly quantifying viral production in the ocean. To confirm the successful transfer of host-associated HPG-labeled proteins or peptides into marine viruses, we conducted an independent suite of proteomic experiments with cultured systems to directly assess the production of HPG-labeled viral proteins. We used including Emiliania huxleyi strain CCMP374 and its ~200nm coccolithovirus EhV207 as well as E. coli and its ~50 nm virus T7 as virus-host model systems. These specific model systems were chosen because they represent a range of viral particle sizes and their infection dynamics are well characterized. E. huxleyi/EhV207 also represents an ecologically relevant marine virus-host pair.