title: [Diversity of virus-like particles from salt mines in Yunnan, China].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  For exploring and characterizing the diversity of virus-like particles from salt mines in Yunnan, China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Virus-like particles were identified from enriched brine or saline soil samples by transmission electronic microscopy and double-layer plate, and their morphological properties were further characterized.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three types of virus-like particles, head-tailed virus, linear virus and spherical virus, were observed by using transmission electronic microscopy. Then, two Halomonas viruses and one Chromohalobacter virus were subsequently isolated from Qiaohou salt mine and Yipinglang salt mine. According to the sample sources, their morphological characteristics and the character of host strains, those viruses were named as Qiaohou Halomonas Siphoviridae Virus 1 ( QHHSV-1), Yipinglang Halomonas Siphoviridae Virus 1 (YPHSV-1) and Yipinglang Chromohalobacter Pleomorphic Virus 1 (YPCPV-1). QHHSV-1 was head-tailed virus with a diameter of 47 nm icosahedrons-like head, and an easily broken 75 nm length tail. YPHSV-1 was head-tailed virus with a diameter of 50 nm icosahedrons-like head, and a 140 nm length tail. YPCPV-1 was a pleomorphic, variable-sized (20 -50 nm) virus, which possessed protuberances on the virus particles.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Pengkang
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Yongxia
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhiying
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cui
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D002681:China; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000821:virology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D014780:Viruses / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure