Incomplete tricarboxylic acid cycle and proton gradient in Pandoravirus massiliensis: is it still a virus?

ABSTRACT: The discovery of Acanthamoeba polyphaga Mimivirus, the first isolated giant virus of amoeba, challenged the historical hallmarks defining a virus. Giant virion sizes are known to reach up to 2.3 µm, making them visible by optical microscopy. Their large genome sizes of up to 2.5 Mb can encode proteins involved in the translation apparatus. We have investigated possible energy production in Pandoravirus massiliensis. Mitochondrial membrane markers allowed for the detection of a membrane potential in purified virions and this was enhanced by a regulator of the tricarboxylic acid cycle but abolished by the use of a depolarizing agent. Bioinformatics was employed to identify enzymes involved in virion proton gradient generation and this approach revealed that eight putative P. massiliensis pro

SUBMITTER: Aherfi S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8857278 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature