RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The kinetoplastid-infecting Bodo saltans virus (BsV), a window into the most abundant giant viruses in the sea
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 214536
DO 10.1101/214536
A1 Christoph M. Deeg
A1 Cheryl-Emiliane T. Chow
A1 Curtis A. Suttle
YR 2017
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/11/06/214536.abstract
AB Giant viruses are ecologically important players in aquatic ecosystems that have challenged concepts of what constitutes a virus. Herein, we present the giant Bodo saltans virus (BsV), the first characterized representative of the most abundant giant viruses in the oceans, and the first klosneuvirus isolate, a subgroup of the Mimiviridae proposed from metagenomic data. BsV infects an ecologically important microzooplankton, the kinetoplastid Bodo saltans. Its 1.39 Mb genome is the largest described for the Mimiviridae and encodes 1227 predicted ORFs, including pathways for host-independent replication. Yet, much of its translational machinery has been lost, including all tRNAs. Essential genes are invaded by homing endonuclease-encoding self-splicing introns that may defend against competing viruses. Putative anti-host factors show extensive gene duplication via a genomic accordion indicating an ongoing evolutionary arms race and highlighting the rapid evolution and genomic plasticity that has led to genome gigantism and the enigma that is giant viruses.