Virion architecture unifies globally distributed pleolipoviruses infecting halophilic archaea.

ABSTRACT: Our understanding of the third domain of life, Archaea, has greatly increased since its establishment some 20 years ago. The increasing information on archaea has also brought their viruses into the limelight. Today, about 100 archaeal viruses are known, which is a low number compared to the numbers of characterized bacterial or eukaryotic viruses. Here, we have performed a comparative biological and structural study of seven pleomorphic viruses infecting extremely halophilic archaea. The pleomorphic nature of this novel virion type was established by sedimentation analysis and cryo-electron microscopy. These nonlytic viruses form virions characterized by a lipid vesicle enclosing the genome, without any nucleoproteins. The viral lipids are unselectively acquired from host cell membranes.

SUBMITTER: Pietila MK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3347350 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature