title: Exceptional virion release mechanism: one more surprise from archaeal viruses.
abstract: Virion release from the host cell is the final and essential step for completion of the viral life cycle and spread of virions in the environment. Although for eukaryotic and bacterial viruses the egress mechanisms are reasonably well understood, this subject has not been studied in detail for archaeal viruses until recently. Here we summarize available data on the extraordinary egress mechanism exploited by the Sulfolobus islandicus rod-shaped virus SIRV2 and the Sulfolobus turreted icosahedral virus STIV. In addition, we describe features of the virus-induced pyramidal formation, VAP, involved in this process. Being an autonomous structure different from the capsid, the VAP can be considered as a representative of a specific class of virus-coded structures which we suggest to name 'virodomes'.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur, Department of Microbiology, Biologie Moléculaire du Géne chez les Extrêmophiles, 75015 Paris, France. david.prangishvilli@pasteur.fr
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prangishvili
authors.forename: Tessa E F
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Quax
mesh_terms: D023641:Archaeal Viruses / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D016944:Sulfolobus / Q000821:virology*; D014771:Virion / Q000648:ultrastructure; D057074:Virus Release