Sputnik virophage disrupts the transcriptional regulation of its host giant virus.

ABSTRACT: Sputnik virophages are small double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses that replicate only inside host amoebae infected with giant dsDNA viruses, mimiviruses. Sputnik infection affects mimivirus replication, but their molecular interaction remains poorly understood. Here, we performed a time-course transcriptome analysis of Acanthamoeba castellanii cells infected with Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus (APMV; hereafter referred to as Sputnik^- cells) and those infected with both APMV and Sputnik 3 virophage (Sputnik⁺ cells). The gene expression patterns of the amoeba were similar between these two conditions, whereas the expression of APMV genes was drastically affected by Sputnik, depending on the timing of their expression. Early-expressed APMV genes showed similar ex

SUBMITTER: Chen J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11998528 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature