Archaeal viruses--novel, diverse and enigmatic.
Recent research has revealed a remarkable diversity of viruses in archaeal-rich environments where spindles, spheres, filaments and rods are common, together with other exceptional morphotypes never recorded previously. Moreover, their double-stranded DNA genomes carry very few genes exhibiting homology to those of bacterial and eukaryal viruses. Studies on viral life cycles are still at a preliminary stage but important insights are being gained especially from microarray analyses of viral transcripts for a few model virus-host systems. Recently, evidence has been presented for some exceptional archaeal-specific mechanisms for extra-cellular morphological development of virions and for their cellular extrusion. Here we summarise some of the recent developments in this rapidly developing and exciting research area.
Archaea Centre, Department of Biology, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen N, Denmark. peng@bio.ku.dk
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Roger A
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D001105:Archaea / Q000821:virology*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014780:Viruses / Q000235:genetics*