Endogenous virophages are active and mitigate giant virus infection in the marine protist Cafeteria burkhardae.

ABSTRACT: Endogenous viral elements (EVEs) are common genetic passengers in various protists. Some EVEs represent viral fossils, whereas others are still active. The marine heterotrophic flagellate Cafeteria burkhardae contains several EVE types related to the virophage mavirus, a small DNA virus that parasitizes the lytic giant virus CroV. We hypothesized that endogenous virophages may act as an antiviral defense system in protists, but no protective effect of virophages in wild host populations has been shown so far. Here, we tested the activity of virophage EVEs and studied their impact on giant virus replication. We found that endogenous mavirus-like elements (EMALEs) from globally distributed Cafeteria populations produced infectious virus particles specifically in response to Cro

SUBMITTER: Koslova A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10945749 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature