All articles tagged with #virophages
Giant viruses that infect microalgae and protists dominate polar ecosystems, acting as ecosystem engineers through the viral shunt and metabolic reprogramming; their activity is modulated by virophages, which can dampen viral virulence and stabilize food webs, and polar regions like the Last Ice Area serve as climate sentinels whose thaw could reshape these unique microbial communities.
Scientists at the University of Innsbruck have discovered over 30,000 new viruses embedded within the DNA of unicellular organisms, with up to 10% of microbial DNA consisting of built-in viruses. These viruses do not appear to harm their hosts and may even protect them, with many being similar to virophages that infect and destroy other harmful viruses. The DNA of the newly discovered viruses is similar to virophage DNA, suggesting that the host microbes protect themselves from giant viruses through these built-in viruses. The study was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and was funded by the Austrian Science Fund.
Researchers propose a new evolutionary model for the origin of Bamfordvirae, a kingdom of viruses, suggesting a billion-year evolutionary arms race between two groups within this kingdom and their hosts. The study provides convincing analyzes that advance our understanding of the deep evolutionary history of viruses, the interaction between viruses and the first eukaryotes, and the diversification of viral lineages. The study also supports the positioning of the Bamfordvirae ancestral root between virophages and the other viral lineages, pointing towards a new model for the evolutionary origins of these viruses.
Researchers analyzing the genomes of single-celled microbes have discovered over 30,000 previously unknown viruses hidden within the microbes' DNA. The viruses don't seem to sicken their hosts and may even be beneficial, protecting the cell from infection by dangerous viruses. The newly discovered viruses are similar to virophage DNA, suggesting microbes may enjoy some protection from giant viruses thanks to the "built-in" viruses residing in their genomes. The study also found evidence that many protist EVEs are not just genomic fossils but functional viruses, which suggests that diverse arrays of these elements may be part of a host antivirus system.