Navigation Links
Study of giant viruses shakes up tree of life
Date:9/13/2012

enting bacteria, viruses, the microbes known as archaea, and all other living things. The researchers included giant viruses because these viruses are large and complex, with genomes that rival and in some cases exceed the genetic endowments of the simplest bacteria, Caetano-Anolls said.

"The giant viruses have incredible machinery that seems to be very similar to the machinery that you have in a cell," he said. "They have complexity and we have to explain why."

Part of that complexity includes enzymes involved in translating the genetic code into proteins, he said. Scientists were startled to find these enzymes in viruses, since viruses lack all other known protein-building machinery and must commandeer host proteins to do the work for them.

In the new study, the researchers mapped evolutionary relationships between the protein endowments of hundreds of organisms and used the information to build a new universal tree of life that included viruses. The resulting tree had four clearly differentiated branches, each representing a distinct "supergroup." The giant viruses formed the fourth branch of the tree, distinct from bacteria, archaea and eukarya (plants, animals and all other organisms with nucleated cells).

The researchers discovered that many of the most ancient protein folds those found in most cellular organisms were also present in the giant viruses. This suggests that these viruses appeared quite early in evolution, near the root of the tree of life, Caetano-Anolls said.

The new analysis adds to the evidence that giant viruses were originally much more complex than they are today and experienced a dramatic reduction in their genomes over time, Caetano-Anolls said. This reduction likely explains their eventual adoption of a parasitic lifestyle, he said. He and his colleagues suggest that giant viruses are more like their original ancestors than smaller viruses with pared down genomes.

The researchers
'/>"/>

Contact: Diana Yates
diya@illinois.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Source:Eurekalert  

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2 3

Related biology news :

1. Study implicates marijuana use in pregnancy problems
2. University of Tennessee, ORNL lead national team to study nuclear fusion reactors
3. Study provides first-time analysis of 3 distinct contributions of forage fish worldwide
4. Mushroom-derived compound lengthens survival in dogs with cancer, Penn Vet study finds
5. Swim training plus healthy diet factor in cancer fight: New study
6. Turf study to monitor runoff, establish fertilizer management practices
7. UC Santa Cruz study shows how sea otters can reduce CO2 in the atmosphere
8. Study finds how BPA affects gene expression, anxiety; Soy mitigates effects
9. Studying sex differences in autism focus of $15 million NIH award to Yale center
10. UF Guantanamo Bay Lepidoptera study sets baseline for future research
11. Rice University researchers optimize photoluminescent probes to study DNA and more
Post Your Comments:
*Name:
*Comment:
*Email:
Related Image:
Study of giant viruses shakes up tree of life
(Date:5/22/2013)... pollinating insects and wild plants have slowed in recent ... by the University of Leeds and the Naturalis Biodiversity ... reductions in the diversity of species in Britain, Belgium ... But the picture brightened markedly after 1990, with a ... hoverflies and wild plants. , Professor Bill ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... Using a "patient monitoring" device attached to a whale ... time how fishing lines changed a whale,s diving and ... whales, ability to eat and migrate, depletes their energy ... can result in a slow death. , The scientists ... a Dtag to a two-year-old female North Atlantic right ...
(Date:5/21/2013)... body, stem cells in the blood often jump ... immune cells that can fight off illness. But ... populations, potentially leading to the development of serious ... of researchers led by biologists at the California ... mouse models, the molecule microRNA-146a (miR-146a) acts as ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):Encouraging signs for bee biodiversity 2Encouraging signs for bee biodiversity 3Study reveals how fishing gear can cause slow death of whales 2Study reveals how fishing gear can cause slow death of whales 3Keeping stem cells strong 2
... special mechanisms that delay ageing provide exceptionally good health. ... colony-forming ascidians (or sea squirts) can activate the enzyme ... also in humans who attain an advanced age. , ... individual,s body is passes on to the next generations, ...
... Fla., April 20, 2011 After 30 years with ... announces his retirement. Perrott served in ... in 1991. Under his tenure, Chip Supply grew into ... well as a leading global provider of high reliability ...
... fulfill a range of diversified functions. Often such specialization ... places within a cell. It ensures that particular functions ... intracellular asymmetry in the otherwise fluid environment of the ... represent an especially important type of freight. They are ...
Cached Biology News:Marine organisms with eternal life can solve the riddle of aging 2How molecules get to the right place at the right time 2How molecules get to the right place at the right time 3
(Date:5/23/2013)... 2013 The New Jersey chapter of ... Data Processing Associates (BDPA), is hosting its 10th annual ... This all-day event will encourage students and their parents ... and outs from many of the industries’ finest teachers. ... New Jersey Institute of Technology, the event will include ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... Canada (PRWEB) May 23, 2013 ... it is critical to adhere to principles of ... (HSP). , Esteemed speaker Dr. Jeremy Lim, Fellow, ... audience: , ,     Understand the International ... Practice (GCP) and additional regulations for the conduction ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... DC (PRWEB) May 23, 2013 ... genetics-based ancestry tracing for people of African descent, ... Admixture product offering. For people of all races, ... make-up from five distinct populations: Indigenous Americas (Native ... and India Subcontinent. , Originally launched ...
(Date:5/23/2013)... (PRWEB) May 23, 2013 Watlow®, ... of complete thermal systems, recently introduced its new ... years of experience in designing and manufacturing industrial ... of products to serve diverse customer needs. , ... featured at the beginning of the book. These ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) New Jersey Hosts 10th Annual Families in Technology Day June 8, 2013 2Adhering to Good Clinical Practice, New Webinar Hosted by Xtalks 2AfricanAncestry.com Rolls Out Improved MyDNAMix Admixture Test for People of all Races; Enhancements Increase Accuracy in Estimation of Ancestral Makeup 2AfricanAncestry.com Rolls Out Improved MyDNAMix Admixture Test for People of all Races; Enhancements Increase Accuracy in Estimation of Ancestral Makeup 3Watlow Introduces Its New Industrial Heater Catalog 2
... a study to be published in the April 21st issue ... of Engineering and Applied Science report their findings that the ... affected the entire circulation of the Southern Hemisphere all the ... the ozone hole is changing the atmospheric flow in the ...
... FRAZER, Pa., April 21, 2011 Cephalon, Inc. (NASDAQ: ... filed a definitive Consent Revocation Statement with the Securities ... Pharmaceuticals International Inc.,s proposals to remove Cephalon,s entire Board ... Valeant.  Cephalon also mailed copies of the Statement to ...
... NEW YORK, April 21, 2011 Collins Stewart LLC ... healthcare investment banking alliance with Beal Advisors and Liberty ... target, originate and execute public and private equity transactions ... Tree Advisors are US-based boutique healthcare advisory firms. Georgia ...
Cached Biology Technology:Columbia engineering study links ozone hole to climate change all the way to the equator 2Columbia engineering study links ozone hole to climate change all the way to the equator 3Cephalon Files Definitive Consent Revocation Statement, Commences Mailing to Shareholders 2Cephalon Files Definitive Consent Revocation Statement, Commences Mailing to Shareholders 3Cephalon Files Definitive Consent Revocation Statement, Commences Mailing to Shareholders 4Cephalon Files Definitive Consent Revocation Statement, Commences Mailing to Shareholders 5Cephalon Files Definitive Consent Revocation Statement, Commences Mailing to Shareholders 6Cephalon Files Definitive Consent Revocation Statement, Commences Mailing to Shareholders 7Cephalon Files Definitive Consent Revocation Statement, Commences Mailing to Shareholders 8Cephalon Files Definitive Consent Revocation Statement, Commences Mailing to Shareholders 9Cephalon Files Definitive Consent Revocation Statement, Commences Mailing to Shareholders 10Collins Stewart Announces Formation of Healthcare Investment Banking Alliance 2Collins Stewart Announces Formation of Healthcare Investment Banking Alliance 3
Human peripheral blood CD19+ B cells, For immunohistochemistry (IHC) Cell Chip with Human Peripheral Blood Monocytes, B Cells, NK Cells and Stem Cells...
Umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells, For immunohistochemistry (IHC) Cell Chip with Human Umbilical Cord Blood MNCs and T Cells...
Human plasmacytoid dendritic cells, BDCA-4+, For immunohistochemistry (IHC) Cell Chip with Human Peripheral Blood Dendritic Cells and EPCs...
Umbilical cord blood basophils, For immunohistochemistry (IHC)...
Biology Products: