Giant Virus Discovered

[a_unique_person]

Yes, it's a whole 400nano meters across. But it appears to be more complex than some bacteria.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s818289.htm

Bizarre giant virus rewrites the record books
Monday, 31 March 2003

Top: Electron micrograph of the Mimivirus (Pic: La Scola & Nitsche, CRMC2). Bottom: The virus' size compared to a Ureaplasma bacterium on the left (Pic: Science)

A bizarre new species of giant virus, found living inside an amoeba, has more genes than many bacteria and can be seen without an electron microscope, French researchers have discovered.

Reporting their find in the latest issue of the journal Science, Bernard La Scola of the Université de la Méditerranée in Marseilles and colleagues propose the creation of a new family of viruses called Mimiviridae.

Similar in size to a small bacterium, the giant Mimivirus was named after its ability to 'mimic a microbe' (hence 'mi-mi'). Although large for a virus - one of the smallest forms of life known - it is still only 400 nanometres in diameter, and 2,500 of them could fit in 1 mm. Most viruses are between 10 and 100 nanometres across, and unlike Mimivirus, visible only with an electron microscope.

 

[Lord Kenneth]

Viruses are not really life forms...

 

[a_unique_person]

Viruses are not really life forms...

"Mimiviruses are on the interface between the protozoa, bacteria and viruses," he told ABC Science Online. "Rather than a missing link, they're part of the same gene pool as bacteria. These viruses are mopping up genes from their hosts, and swapping genes with bacteria and other viruses."

Although size is a key bacterial trait, the French team said the Mimivirus is not a bacteria, as its genome lacks certain universal bacterial genes. In addition, it shares 21 protein functions in common with four other large virus families, and displays basic viral traits in its structure, life cycle, and genetic code.

However, they claim it differs from other viruses enough to represent a new branch in the evolutionary tree, suggesting an early divergence from other virus families and direct relations with their common ancestors. But building family trees is unreliable for viruses, as they mutate rapidly.

 

[Agammamon]

Obviously a result of Nooklyur Power, just like them giant ants.

 

[neutrino_cannon]

Gibbs expects that Mimiviruses carry diverse genes that are probably not required for the virus itself, but more useful to the host.

As I recall the genes for the production of botox are carried viraly.

I know, lets make a really big virus, 0.1 meters across! It could infect aepyornis eggs. Probably couldn't fit in much else though.

 

[arcticpenguin]

Viruses are not really life forms...

That depends on how you define "life". Once you know the details, the original questions about 'what is life' appear overly simplistic.

 

[Consultant]

Fark had this story listed yesterday. Their take on it was rather clever:

"Scientists discover giant virus, decide not to name it 'Windows'"

 

[cbish]

Agammamon wrote

Obviously a result of Nooklyur Power, just like them giant ants.

You stole my thunder, turdball!

Artic Penquin wrote

that depends on how you define "life".

Can it reproduce? Can it reproduce without a host?/by itself? (asexually)

 

[arcticpenguin]

Can it reproduce? Can it reproduce without a host?/by itself? (asexually)

Every form of life needs an environment and a food source. For a parasite, these are supplied by the host. There are cellular and even multi-cellular parasites which could not survive without their host.

 

[cbish]

But a parasite can reproduce itself. Can a virus reproduce without infecting a cell? Do viruses display any metabolic activity such as any type of energy production (i.e. glycolysis/ATP use), do they synthesize their own proteins? I would imagine that there is not a lot of stimulus/response from a virus.