virology Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Astrobiology

Organization and Diversity of the Virosphere. The vast genetic diversification of viruses is reflected in a variety of viral genome lengths (1.8 Kb–2.5 Mb) and organizations (e.g., circular vs. linear, segmented or not), virion sizes (17 nm–1 μm) and morphologies, host ranges, and in the types of interactions between viruses and their hosts. Here, we represent the six virus realms in the middle circle, as they emerge from an ancestral RNA-recognition motif (RRM) in the center. The roman numbers indicate the nature of the packaged nucleic acid according to the Baltimore classification scheme, where blue numbers represent DNA and red numbers RNA. Non-viral mobile genetic elements (perivirosphere) and the unknown viral sequences (viral dark matter) are included in the background. Some representative virus morphologies from viruses infecting all three domains are depicted with approximate relative sizes and colored according to their host. The available molecular structures were downloaded from RCSB Protein Data Bank and visualized with UCSF ChimeraX. ss, single-stranded; ds, double-stranded; RT, retro-transcriptase. -- Frontiers in Microbiology

Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Microbiology & Virology, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report

Viruses In Astrobiology

by Keith CowingFebruary 5, 2024February 5, 2024

Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on Earth, and yet, they have not received enough consideration in astrobiology.