Abstract
Scientists have detected tomato mosaic tobamovirus (ToMV) RNA by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification of glacial ice subcores <500 to ∼140 000 years old. Using 244 bp of the coat protein gene, a neighbor-joining tree of ice virus and extant ToMV isolates revealed the relationships between isolates. Subcores that contained sequences nearly identical to contemporary ToMV sequences suggest that recent ToMV populations have an extended age, perhaps because ancient forms continually return to the atmosphere and hydrosphere from glacial meltwater or from ablated glacial surfaces. This raises the possibility that modern populations of viruses are complex mixtures continually released from ancient sources such as ice. Polar Biol. (1999) 22, 207–212.
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