Open AccessThe Closest Relatives of Icosahedral Viruses of Thermophilic Bacteria Are among Viruses and Plasmids of the Halophilic Archaea
Author(s) -
Matti Jalasvuori,
Silja T. Jaatinen,
Simonas Laurinavičius,
Elina Ahola-Iivarinen,
Nisse Kalkkinen,
Dennis H. Bamford,
Jaana K. H. Bamford
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.617
H-Index - 292
eISSN - 1070-6321
pISSN - 0022-538X
DOI - 10.1128/jvi.00869-09
Subject(s) - biology , archaea , halophile , plasmid , thermophile , bacteria , icosahedral symmetry , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , virology , dna , chemistry , crystallography
We have sequenced the genome and identified the structural proteins and lipids of the novel membrane-containing, icosahedral virus P23-77 ofThermus thermophilus . P23-77 has an ∼17-kb circular double-stranded DNA genome, which was annotated to contain 37 putative genes. Virions were subjected to dissociation analysis, and five protein species were shown to associate with the internal viral membrane, while three were constituents of the protein capsid. Analysis of the bacteriophage genome revealed it to be evolutionarily related to anotherThermus phage (IN93), archaealHalobacterium plasmid (pHH205), a genetic element integrated intoHaloarcula genome (designated here as IHP for integratedHaloarcula provirus), and theHaloarcula virus SH1. These genetic elements share two major capsid proteins and a putative packaging ATPase. The ATPase is similar with the ATPases found in the PRD1-type viruses, thus providing an evolutionary link to these viruses and furthering our knowledge on the origin of viruses.