The "fingerprints" of mysterious viruses hidden in an ancient group of microbes that may have helped fuel the rise of all complex life on Earth, were discovered by scientists.
In the ocean and in boiling hot springs, these microbes existed before the first cells, which carried their genes inside a nucleus. Some scientists theorize that viruses may have influenced how life-forms first came to be by giving rise to some of the first precursors to the nucleus. No Asgard-infecting Viruses had been found before.
In a trio of studies published Monday in the journal Nature Microbiology, scientists have identified a slew of viruses that can cause diseases.
"These are the first studies looking at archaeal viruses; there was nothing known before," said the leader of the research group who was not involved in the studies. In the future, this line of research may reveal if and how viruses played a role in the emergence of cells on Earth.
The world's oceans are ruled by a secret viruses.
Scientists were able to find evidence of a viral infection in the genomes of Asgard archaea. The evidence comes in the form of short snippets of viral genes.
Ian Rambo, a former PhD candidate at the University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute and first author of one of the Nature Microbiology studies, said that most people who hear the term "CRISPR" think of the tool that allows scientists to easily manipulate genetic sequence. He told Live Science that the natural defense mechanisms ofbacteria and archaea were the inspiration for the tool.
The acronym "CRISPR" stands for "clusters of regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats with spacers sandwiched between each repeat" The cells maintain a memory bank of viral DNA that helps them recognize the viruses if they attack again, after theyTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkiaTrademarkia,Trademarkia,Trademarkia,Trademarkia,TrademarkiaTrademarkia,Trademarkia,Trademarkia,Trademarkia,Trademarkia,Trademarkia,Trademarkia,Trademarkia,Trademarkia,Trademarkia,Trademarkia Rambo is a researcher with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service.
The Gulf of California is the body of water between Baja California and mainland Mexico, and it is where Rambo and his colleagues hunted for such DNA spacers. The team was able to match the long stretches of viral DNA they found.
Is the virus still alive?
It's easy to sequence the viruses from the deep-sea, but it's difficult to identify which hosts they'reinfecting, according to a co-author of the other two. It is the most convenient and reliable way to assign a host.
In the end, Rambo's team discovered six different types of viruses that are related to the gods of Asgard. The giant wolf Fenrir and the dragon Nidhogg were named after the mythical beasts.
The two ravens that serve as scouts for the god Odin were the subject of a study in which Krupovic and his colleagues discovered two viruses.
In the final study, Krupovic and his colleagues found viruses in the deep-sea mud from the northeastern cape of the Japanese island of Honsh, as well as two other sites in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. The viruses they found were named after the three Norns, which are supernatural beings that determine the fate of gods and mortals.
There is a strange blob out of deep-sea mud.
The researchers were able to figure out what the different genes code for by looking at the viral DNA.
The Norn Verdandi and Wyrd viruses are likely lemon-shaped and have tails that extend from their outer shells. According to Rambo's team, Nidhogg viruses may be able to pump out new copies of themselves by hijacking key genes in their host cells. The viruses that hijack their hosts are similar.
The researchers were able to figure out some of the functions of the viruses' genes, but not all of them. She said that many more Asgard-infecting Viruses are likely yet to be discovered.
Asgard archaea can be grown in the lab and isolated from any Viruses found in their Cells. The culturing of Asgard archaea has been difficult. Archaeal cells take a long time to replicate. According to Science News, the Escherichia coli takes about 20 minutes.
The most efficient way to find more viruses is by matching the genes of different viruses. As more and more viruses are discovered, their role in the emergence of humans may become clearer.
It was originally published on Live Science
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