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Dna Viruses: The Really Big Ones (Giruses), James L. Van Etten, Leslie C. Lane, David Dunigan
Dna Viruses: The Really Big Ones (Giruses), James L. Van Etten, Leslie C. Lane, David Dunigan
David D Dunigan Ph. D.
Viruses with genomes greater than 300 kb and up to 1200 kb are being discovered with increasing frequency. These large viruses (often called giruses) can encode up to 900 proteins and also many tRNAs. Consequently, these viruses have more protein-encoding genes than many bacteria, and the concept of small particle/small genome that once defined viruses is no longer valid. Giruses infect bacteria and animals although most of the recently discovered ones infect protists. Thus, genome gigantism is not restricted to a specific host or phylogenetic clade. To date, most of the giruses are associated with aqueous environments. Many of these …
Phycodnaviruses: A Peek At Genetic Diversity, David Dunigan, Lisa Fitzgerald, James L. Van Etten
Phycodnaviruses: A Peek At Genetic Diversity, David Dunigan, Lisa Fitzgerald, James L. Van Etten
David D Dunigan Ph. D.
The family Phycodnaviridae encompasses a diverse collection of large icosahedral, dsDNA viruses infecting algae. These viruses have genomes ranging from 160 to 560 kb. The family consists of six genera based initially on host range and supported by sequence comparisons. The family is monophyletic with branches for each genus, but the phycodnaviruses have evolutionary roots that connect with several other families of large DNA viruses, referred to as the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDV). The genomes of members in three genera in the Phycodnaviridae have recently been sequenced and the purpose of this manuscript is to summarize these data. The …