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A Truly Alive Virus

Posted by michael on from the cross-breed dept.

cyclop writes "Microbiologists are puzzled by the genome sequence of the giant Mimivirus. It seems this virus has even more genes than many bacteria, is able to synthesize its own proteins and therefore is, by definition, alive. 'We are seeing an organism here. There is DNA, RNA and plenty of proteins,' says Didier Raoult, who reports the work in this week's Science."

5 of 67 comments (clear)

  1. Evolution proof ? by Jesrad · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This virus is not yet self-reproducting, but I think it might just evolve a bit more and complete that last step. It's a nice demonstration of evolution in action, I think.

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    Maybe we deserve this world ?
    1. Re:Evolution proof ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting


      This virus is not yet self-reproducting, but I think it might just evolve a bit more and complete that last step. It's a nice demonstration of evolution in action, I think.

      Perhaps it was once a bacterium which lost its selfreproductivity in a bid to maximize parasitivity.

  2. It's called VIRUSES not virii by hankwang · · Score: 4, Informative
    This virus has a lot of DNA (the poxvirii do as well)

    That geeks write "virii" in l33tspeak when they talk about computer viruses is one thing, but it's worse when this spelling pops up in scientific discussions. The plural is VIRUSES!

    If you follow latin rules for constructing the plural form, it would still be viri with a single i at the end.

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  3. Um, yes... by contagious_d · · Score: 5, Informative

    "This virus has a lot of DNA (the poxvirii do as well), but that does not mean it has a metabolism. Virii use their host's metabolism to produce proteins....."
    I have this funny feeling you didn't RTFA before you decided that this was a worthless story.
    From Nature: "It can make about 150 of its own proteins, along with chemical chaperones to help the proteins to fold in the right way. It can even repair its own DNA if it gets damaged, unlike normal viruses."

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    - /home is where the food is.
  4. Re:Um, yes.... by VendingMenace · · Score: 4, Informative

    It is quite simple, really. The virus enters the host cell. From there it uses the hosts machinery (enzymes, ribozyme, protiens, ect) to carry out the replication of the viruses DNA (or RNA whatever the case may be).

    However, the virus is not just bare DNA or RNA (gennerally). It also contains a protien coat on the outside that serves to hold and protect the virus genome. So this too must be made in great quantities to hold all the vast numbers of genomes that have just been copied.

    So, in order for a virus to replicate in a cell, it must use the cells system to make BOTH the nucleic acid synthesis AND the protiens for the coat around the virus.

    Since this process of protien sythensis uses energy, the virus IS using the cells matabolism to make protiens.

    I hope that answers your question. :)