Virology Commons^™

Genetic Diversity Of Potassium Ion Channel Proteins Encoded By Chloroviruses That Infect Chlorella Heliozoae, Carter Murry

Honors Theses

Chloroviruses are large, plaque-forming, double-stranded DNA viruses that infect chlorella-like green algae that live in a symbiotic relationship with protists. Chloroviruses have a genome from 290 to 370 kb, and they encode as many as 400 proteins. One interesting feature of chloroviruses is that they encode a potassium ion (K⁺) channel protein named Kcv. K⁺ channels are essential proteins for life. They cross the membrane of the cell to quickly and selectively allow K⁺ in or out of the cell. This helps regulate the electrical charge of a cell which in turn helps control electrical signaling …