The multiple origins of proteins present in tupanvirus particles

Publication date: June 2019Source: Current Opinion in Virology, Volume 36Author(s): Paulo Victor de Miranda Boratto, Ana Cláudia dos Santos Pereira Andrade, Rodrigo Araújo Lima Rodrigues, Bernard La Scola, Jônatas Santos AbrahãoIn the last few decades, the isolation of amoebae-infecting giant viruses has challenged established principles related to the definition of virus, their evolution, and their particle structures represented by a variety of shapes and sizes. Tupanviruses are one of the most recently described amoebae-infecting viruses and exhibit a peculiar morphology with a cylindrical tail attached to the capsid. Proteomic analysis of purified viral particles revealed that virions are composed of over one hundred proteins with different functions. The putative origin of these proteins had not yet been investigated. Here, we provide evidences for multiple origins of the proteins present in tupanvirus particles, wherein 20% originate from members of the archaea, bacteria and eukarya.Graphical abstract

Source: Current Opinion in Virology - March 18, 2019 Category: Virology Source Type: research