Mimivirus is a genus of giant viruses, in the family Mimiviridae. Amoeba serve as their natural hosts. This genus contains a single identified species named Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus (APMV), which serves as its type species. It also refers to a group of phylogenetically related large viruses.
Poxviridae is a family of viruses. Humans, vertebrates, and arthropods serve as natural hosts. There are currently 83 species in this family, divided among 22 genera, which are divided into two subfamilies. Diseases associated with this family include smallpox.
Viral eukaryogenesis is the hypothesis that the cell nucleus of eukaryotic life forms evolved from a large DNA virus in a form of endosymbiosis within a methanogenic archaeon or a bacterium. The virus later evolved into the eukaryotic nucleus by acquiring genes from the host genome and eventually usurping its role. The hypothesis was proposed by Philip Bell in 2001 and was further popularized with the discovery of large, complex DNA viruses that are capable of protein biosynthesis. Recent supporting evidence includes the discovery that, upon the infection of a bacterial cell, the giant bacteriophage 201Phi2-1 assembles a nucleus-like structure that segregates proteins according to function. This nucleus-like structure and its key properties have been found conserved in the related phages.
Bodo (/ˈboʊdoʊ/) is a genus of microscopic kinetoplastids, flagellate excavates first described in 1831 by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg. The genus is small, as it has recently been redefined to include only four species. Bodo includes free-living, phagotrophic organisms that can be found in many marine and freshwater environments as well as some terrestrial environments. Being phagotrophic, Bodo feeds on bacteria and other microorganisms that it finds while swimming through its water-based habitats. The swimming-like movement is facilitated by the two unequal flagella that Bodo possesses which arise from an anteriorly located flagellar pocket. Bodo is roughly bean-shaped and is often missed in samples from water or terrestrial environments due to its small size.
Bodo saltans is a free-living nonparasitic species of kinetoplastid flagellated phagotrophic protozoa that feed on bacteria. Bodo saltans cells have been reported in freshwater and marine environments.
Virophages are small, double-stranded DNA viral phages that require the co-infection of another virus. The co-infecting viruses are typically giant viruses. Virophages rely on the viral replication factory of the co-infecting giant virus for their own replication. One of the characteristics of virophages is that they have a parasitic relationship with the co-infecting virus. Their dependence upon the giant virus for replication often results in the deactivation of the giant viruses. The virophage may improve the recovery and survival of the host organism.
Mimivirus-dependent virus Sputnik is a subviral agent that reproduces in amoeba cells that are already infected by a certain helper virus; Sputnik uses the helper virus's machinery for reproduction and inhibits replication of the helper virus. It is known as a virophage, in analogy to the term bacteriophage.
Mimiviridae is a family of viruses. Amoeba and other protists serve as natural hosts. The family is divided in up to 4 subfamilies. Viruses in this family belong to the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus clade (NCLDV), also referred to as giant viruses.
Cafeteria roenbergensis virus (CroV) is a giant virus that infects the marine bicosoecid flagellate Cafeteria roenbergensis, a member of the microzooplankton community.
Organic Lake is a lake in the Vestfold Hills in eastern Antarctica. It was formed 6,000 years ago when sea levels were higher; it is isolated, rather shallow 7.5 metres (25 ft), meromictic, a few hundred meters in diameter and has extremely salty water. It has the highest recorded concentration of dimethyl sulfide in any natural body of water.
A giant virus, also known as a girus, is a very large virus, some of which are larger than typical bacteria. They have extremely large genomes compared to other viruses and contain many unique genes not found in life forms. All known giant viruses belong to the phylum Nucleocytoviricota ; they are the larger members of this group.
Mavirus is a genus of double stranded DNA virus that can infect the marine phagotrophic flagellate Cafeteria roenbergensis, but only in the presence of the giant CroV virus. The genus contains only one species, Cafeteriavirus-dependent mavirus. Mavirus can integrate into the genome of cells of C. roenbergensis, and thereby confer immunity to the population
Mimivirus-dependent virus Zamilon, or Zamilon, is a virophage, a group of small DNA viruses that infect protists and require a helper virus to replicate; they are a type of satellite virus. Discovered in 2013 in Tunisia, infecting Acanthamoeba polyphaga amoebae, Zamilon most closely resembles Sputnik, the first virophage to be discovered. The name is Arabic for "the neighbour". Its spherical particle is 50–60 nm in diameter, and contains a circular double-stranded DNA genome of around 17 kb, which is predicted to encode 20 polypeptides. A related strain, Zamilon 2, has been identified in North America.
Klosneuvirus is a new type of giant virus found by the analysis of low-complexity metagenomes from a wastewater treatment plant in Klosterneuburg, Austria. It has a 1.57-Mb genome coding unusually high number of genes typically found in cellular organisms, including aminoacyl transfer RNA synthetases with specificities for 19 different amino acids, over 10 translation factors and several tRNA-modifying enzymes. Klosneuvirus, Indivirus, Catovirus and Hokovirus, are part of a group of giant viruses denoted as Klosneuviruses or Klosneuvirinae, a proposed subfamily of the Mimiviridae.
Tupanvirus is the name of two giant viruses, Tupanvirus deep ocean and Tupanvirus soda lake. They are named after Tupã (Tupan), a Guaraní thunder god, and the places they were found. These are the first viruses reported to possess genes for amino-acyl tRNA synthetases for all 20 standard amino acids.
Chrysochromulina ericina virus 01B, or simply Chrysochromulina ericina virus (CeV) is a giant virus in the family Mimiviridae infecting Haptolina ericina, a marine microalgae member of the Haptophyta. CeV is a dsDNA virus.
Hokovirus (HokV) is a genus of giant double-stranded DNA-containing viruses (NCLDV). This genus was detected during the analysis of metagenome samples of bottom sediments of reservoirs at the wastewater treatment plant in Klosterneuburg, Austria. New Klosneuvirus (KNV), Catovirus and Indivirus genera were also described together with Hokovirus, building up a putative virus subfamily Klosneuvirinae (Klosneuviruses) with KNV as type genus. Hokovirus has a large genome of 1.33 million base pairs. This is the third largest genome among known Klosneuviruses after KNV and Catovirus. GC content is 21.4 % Classification of metagenome, made by analyzing 18S rRNA indicate that their hosts are relate to the simple Cercozoa.
Catovirus (CatV) is a genus of giant double-stranded DNA-containing viruses. This genus was detected during the analysis of metagenome samples of bottom sediments of reservoirs at the wastewater treatment plant in Klosterneuburg, Austria. New Klosneuvirus (KNV), Hokovirus and Indivirus genera were also described together with Catovirus, building up a putative virus subfamily Klosneuvirinae (Klosneuviruses) with KNV as type genus. Catovirus has a large genome of 1.53 million base pairs. This is the second largest genome among known Klosneuviruses after KNV. GC content is 26.4 % Classification of metagenome, made by analyzing 18S rRNA indicate that their hosts are relate to the simple Cercozoa.
Marine viruses are defined by their habitat as viruses that are found in marine environments, that is, in the saltwater of seas or oceans or the brackish water of coastal estuaries. Viruses are small infectious agents that can only replicate inside the living cells of a host organism, because they need the replication machinery of the host to do so. They can infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.
Nucleocytoviricota is a phylum of viruses. Members of the phylum are also known as the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDV), which serves as the basis of the name of the phlyum with the suffix -viricota for virus phylum. These viruses are referred to as nucleocytoplasmic because they are often able to replicate in both the host's cell nucleus and cytoplasm.
