Researchers have developed a global ocean catalog of virus-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) to understand their role in marine biogeochemical cycles. By analyzing 7.6 terabases of metagenomic data from the Tara Oceans and Tara Oceans Polar Circle expeditions, they identified 86,913 AMGs grouped into 22,779 gene clusters, with 7,248 of these not previously reported. These AMGs are involved in various metabolic pathways, including carbohydrate, amino acid, fatty acid, and nucleotide metabolism. The study found that approximately 19% of ocean virus populations carry at least one AMG, and 128 of 340 microbial metabolic pathways are targeted by virus AMGs. The research highlights the importance of AMGs in reprogramming prokaryotic cells during viral infections, which can influence nutrient cycling and carbon export. The findings suggest that viruses play a significant role in modulating global ocean metabolisms and their biogeochemical implications. The study also emphasizes the need for further research to understand the ecological and metabolic contexts of AMGs, as well as the challenges in accurately identifying and annotating these genes in metagenomic datasets. The results provide a valuable resource for understanding the impact of viruses on marine ecosystems and their biogeochemical cycles.Researchers have developed a global ocean catalog of virus-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) to understand their role in marine biogeochemical cycles. By analyzing 7.6 terabases of metagenomic data from the Tara Oceans and Tara Oceans Polar Circle expeditions, they identified 86,913 AMGs grouped into 22,779 gene clusters, with 7,248 of these not previously reported. These AMGs are involved in various metabolic pathways, including carbohydrate, amino acid, fatty acid, and nucleotide metabolism. The study found that approximately 19% of ocean virus populations carry at least one AMG, and 128 of 340 microbial metabolic pathways are targeted by virus AMGs. The research highlights the importance of AMGs in reprogramming prokaryotic cells during viral infections, which can influence nutrient cycling and carbon export. The findings suggest that viruses play a significant role in modulating global ocean metabolisms and their biogeochemical implications. The study also emphasizes the need for further research to understand the ecological and metabolic contexts of AMGs, as well as the challenges in accurately identifying and annotating these genes in metagenomic datasets. The results provide a valuable resource for understanding the impact of viruses on marine ecosystems and their biogeochemical cycles.