title: A new family of hybrid virophages from an animal gut metagenome.
abstract: Search of metagenomics sequence databases for homologs of virophage capsid proteins resulted in the discovery of a new family of virophages in the sheep rumen metagenome. The genomes of the rumen virophages (RVP) encode a typical virophage major capsid protein, ATPase and protease combined with a Polinton-type, protein primed family B DNA polymerase. The RVP genomes appear to be linear molecules, with terminal inverted repeats. Thus, the RVP seem to represent virophage-Polinton hybrids that are likely capable of formation of infectious virions. Virion proteins of mimiviruses were detected in the same metagenomes as the RVP suggesting that the virophages of the new family parasitize on giant viruses that infect protist inhabitants of the rumen.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA. yutin@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Natalya
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yutin
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA. kapitono@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Vladimir V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Kapitonov
authors.affiliation: National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20894, USA. koonin@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Eugene V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Koonin
mesh_terms: D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001435:Bacteriophages / Q000145:classification* / Q000502:physiology; D002213:Capsid / Q000378:metabolism; D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded / Q000235:genetics; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D016678:Genome; D016679:Genome, Viral; D054892:Metagenome; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D012417:Rumen / Q000821:virology*; D012756:Sheep / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D004277:DNA, Single-Stranded; D004279:DNA, Viral; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; D000251:Adenosine Triphosphatases