The mimivirus genome encodes a mitochondrial carrier that transports dATP and dTTP.
Members of the mitochondrial carrier family have been reported in eukaryotes only, where they transport metabolites and cofactors across the mitochondrial inner membrane to link the metabolic pathways of the cytosol and the matrix. The genome of the giant virus Mimiviridae mimivirus encodes a member of the mitochondrial carrier family of transport proteins. This viral protein has been expressed in Lactococcus lactis and is shown to transport dATP and dTTP. As the 1.2-Mb double-stranded DNA mimivirus genome is rich in A and T residues, we speculate that the virus is using this protein to target the host mitochondria as a source of deoxynucleotides for its replication.
Monné
Magnus
M
Dunn Human Nutrition Unit, Medical Research Council, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2XY, United Kingdom.
Robinson
Alan J
AJ
Boes
Christoph
C
Harbour
Michael E
ME
Fearnley
Ian M
IM
Kunji
Edmund R S
ER
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002417:Cattle; D004267:DNA Viruses / Q000235:genetics*; D003838:Deoxyadenine Nucleotides / Q000378:metabolism*; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D013294:Lactococcus lactis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013942:Thymine Nucleotides / Q000378:metabolism*
D003838:Deoxyadenine Nucleotides; D013942:Thymine Nucleotides; C026600:2'-deoxyadenosine triphosphate; C024157:thymidine 5'-triphosphate