Abstract
Giant viruses, like pandoraviruses and mimiviruses, have been discovered from diverse environments, and their broad global distribution has been established. Here, we report two new isolates of Pandoravirus spp. and one Mimivirus sp., named Pandoravirus hades, Pandoravirus persephone, and Mimivirus sp. isolate styx, co-isolated from riverbank soil in Japan. We obtained nearly complete sequences of the family B DNA polymerase gene (polB) of P. hades and P. persephone; the former carried two known intein regions, while the latter had only one. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the two new pandoravirus isolates are closely related to Pandoravirus dulcis. Furthermore, random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis revealed that P. hades and P. persephone might harbor different genome structures. Based on phylogenetic analysis of the partial polB sequence, Mimivirus sp. isolate styx belongs to mimivirus lineage A. DNA staining suggested that the Pandoravirus spp. asynchronously replicates in amoeba cells while Mimivirus sp. replicates synchronously. We also observed that P. persephone- or Mimivirus sp. isolate styx-infected amoeba cytoplasm is extruded by the cells. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to report the isolation of pandoraviruses in Asia. In addition, our results emphasize the importance of virus isolation from soil to reveal the ecology of giant viruses.
Highlights
Since the first report on Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus (APMV), a member of the Mimiviridae family, in 2003, various families of giant viruses have been discovered around the world [1,2]
The isolates were identified as Pandoravirus spp. and Mimivirus sp. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based sequence analysis using virus-specific primers
We tentatively named the mimivirus as Mimivirus sp. isolate styx; the name “styx” is derived from the goddess of the river that flows through the underworld in Greek mythology
Summary
Since the first report on Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus (APMV), a member of the Mimiviridae family, in 2003, various families of giant viruses have been discovered around the world [1,2]. Tokyovirus, which belongs to the Marseilleviridae family, was the first giant virus isolated in Japan [4]. Both Mimiviridae and Marseilleviridae form icosahedral structures. Medusavirus was recently isolated from hot spring water in Japan. This virus is thought to establish a new family Medusaviridae, this has an icosahedral capsid similar to other giant viruses [7]. The continuous discovery of these giant viruses of various shapes suggests that they are quite diverse and may be ubiquitous
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
