Hot crenarchaeal viruses reveal deep evolutionary connections - PubMed (original) (raw)

Review

doi: 10.1038/nrmicro1444. Epub 2006 Jun 6.

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Review

Hot crenarchaeal viruses reveal deep evolutionary connections

Alice C Ortmann et al. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2006 Jul.

Abstract

The discovery of archaeal viruses provides insights into the fundamental biochemistry and evolution of the Archaea. Recent studies have identified a wide diversity of archaeal viruses within the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park and other high-temperature environments worldwide. These viruses are often morphologically unique and code for genes with little similarity to other known genes in the biosphere, a characteristic that has complicated efforts to trace their evolutionary history. Comparative genomics combined with structural analysis indicate that spindle-shaped virus lineages might be unique to the Archaea, whereas other icosahedral viruses might share a common lineage with viruses of Bacteria and Eukarya. These studies provide insights into the evolutionary history of viruses in all three domains of life.

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