The discovery of a pair of gigantic viruses with huge genomes could redefine our understanding of life.
The viruses, named pandoraviruses after their resemblance to Greek vases and the myth of Pandora's box, are the largest viruses known to science. They measure about 1 micrometre (that's one thousandth of a millimetre) long and half a micrometre wide) and were found infecting amoebas in Chile and Australia.
The genomes of pandoraviruses are as unexpectedly big as they are, with a colossal 2,500 genes. Viruses don't need many genes at all, often having around 10 (think of how successful HIV is with only 9). But the biggest surprise is that 93% of pandoravirus genes (about 2,300) are completely new to biology and cannot be linked to any other lineage.
The researchers believe both these unknown genes and the ones pandoraviruses share with other giant viruses provide evidence for a fourth domain of life, a new branch to go alongside the Eukaryota, Bacteria and Archaea. The fact that the two pandoraviruses were found on different continents and are both unlike any known giant viruses is certainly intriguing. The team hope pandoravirus origins will emerge as they find out more about what its mysterious genes do, perhaps supporting their hypothesis that giant viruses like these evolved from cells.
Photo: Pandoravirus particle under an electron microscope. Credit to Chantal Abergel and Jean-Michel Claverie.
http://www.nature.com/
http://
http://io9.com/
The viruses, named pandoraviruses after their resemblance to Greek vases and the myth of Pandora's box, are the largest viruses known to science. They measure about 1 micrometre (that's one thousandth of a millimetre) long and half a micrometre wide) and were found infecting amoebas in Chile and Australia.
The genomes of pandoraviruses are as unexpectedly big as they are, with a colossal 2,500 genes. Viruses don't need many genes at all, often having around 10 (think of how successful HIV is with only 9). But the biggest surprise is that 93% of pandoravirus genes (about 2,300) are completely new to biology and cannot be linked to any other lineage.
The researchers believe both these unknown genes and the ones pandoraviruses share with other giant viruses provide evidence for a fourth domain of life, a new branch to go alongside the Eukaryota, Bacteria and Archaea. The fact that the two pandoraviruses were found on different continents and are both unlike any known giant viruses is certainly intriguing. The team hope pandoravirus origins will emerge as they find out more about what its mysterious genes do, perhaps supporting their hypothesis that giant viruses like these evolved from cells.
Photo: Pandoravirus particle under an electron microscope. Credit to Chantal Abergel and Jean-Michel Claverie.
http://www.nature.com/
http://
http://io9.com/
