Bob
4th March 2014, 02:56
Reading the abstract below just makes my brain hurt.. but I think this is important
"Thirty-thousand-year-old distant relative of giant icosahedral DNA viruses with a pandoravirus morphology" is how the article starts.
ref: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/02/26/1320670111
A Pandora-Virus? (oye that sounds insidious..)
Here is the Abstract below from the technical paper; afterwards we will endeavor to explain in laymen's words what it all is that they are saying..
Please try reading through it, it can be done.. :) I will put up some definitions at the bottom of the OP.
"Giant DNA viruses are visible under a light microscope and their genomes encode more proteins than some bacteria or intracellular parasitic eukaryotes.
"There are two very distinct types and infect unicellular protists such as Acanthamoeba.
"On one hand, Megaviridae possess large pseudoicosahedral capsids enclosing a megabase-sized adenine–thymine-rich genome, and on the other, the recently discovered Pandoraviruses exhibit micron-sized amphora-shaped particles and guanine–cytosine-rich genomes of up to 2.8 Megabytes (in size).
(all that describes how they are assembled, very complex for a virus with a LOT of machinery to duplicate themselves in their host organism)
"While initiating a survey of the Siberian permafrost, we isolated a third type of giant virus combining the Pandoravirus morphology with a gene content more similar to that of icosahedral DNA viruses.
(in other words, these viruses exhibit a type of "sacred geometry", in this case an icosahedra structure capable of infecting DNA)
"This suggests that pandoravirus-like particles may correspond to an unexplored diversity of unconventional DNA virus families.
(advanced viruses inhabited the world 30,000 years ago !! that is significant)
Abstract
"The largest known DNA viruses infect Acanthamoeba and belong to two markedly different families.
"The Megaviridae (this new (old) pandora-virus), exhibit pseudo-icosahedral virions up to 0.7 μm in diameter and adenine–thymine (AT)-rich genomes of up to 1.25 Mb encoding a thousand proteins.
"Like their Mimivirus prototype discovered 10 y ago, they entirely replicate within cytoplasmic virion factories.
(in other words they do their replication in the cell away from the DNA)
"In contrast, the recently discovered Pandoraviruses exhibit larger amphora-shaped virions 1 μm in length and guanine–cytosine-rich genomes up to 2.8 Mb long encoding up to 2,500 proteins.
(that is gargantuan - why would a virus need such a complex reproduction mechanism??)
"Their replication involves the host nucleus. Whereas the Megaviridae share some general features with the previously described icosahedral large DNA viruses, the Pandoraviruses appear unrelated to them.
"Here we report the discovery of a third type of giant virus combining an even larger pandoravirus-like particle 1.5 μm in length with a surprisingly smaller 600 kb AT-rich genome, a gene content more similar to Iridoviruses and Marseillevirus, and a fully cytoplasmic replication reminiscent of the Megaviridae.
(what was happening between 100,000 thru 30,000 years ago that virus development was becoming so advanced, so developed?_
"This suggests that pandoravirus-like particles may be associated with a variety of virus families more diverse than previously envisioned.
"This giant virus, named Pithovirus sibericum, was isolated from a >30,000-y-old radiocarbon-dated sample when we initiated a survey of the virome of Siberian permafrost.
(what in the world was happening in Siberia 100,000 thru 30,000 years ago which would lead to such viral development? Could those viri be exposed to the environment sometime between 30,000 years ago and present time?)
"The revival of such an ancestral amoeba-infecting virus used as a safe indicator of the possible presence of pathogenic DNA viruses, suggests that theGiant DNA viruses are visible under a light microscope and their genomes encode more proteins than some bacteria or intracellular parasitic eukaryotes.
"There are two very distinct types and infect unicellular protists such as Acanthamoeba. On one hand, Megaviridae possess large pseudoicosahedral capsids enclosing a megabase-sized adenine–thymine-rich genome, and on the other, the recently discovered Pandoraviruses exhibit micron-sized amphora-shaped particles and guanine–cytosine-rich genomes of up to 2.8 Mb.
"While initiating a survey of the Siberian permafrost, we isolated a third type of giant virus combining the Pandoravirus morphology with a gene content more similar to that of icosahedral DNA viruses. This suggests that pandoravirus-like particles may correspond to an unexplored diversity of unconventional DNA virus families.
The last section about revival should give one shivers..
"...the thawing of permafrost either from global warming or industrial exploitation of circumpolar regions might not be exempt from future threats to human or animal health."
omg..
Carrying this a bit further...
Drilling deep for oil into layers that have been buried for millions of years, what was present back then? What infections, what viri, what will be evoked when such is brought to the surface?
The scientists in the article above noted that from 30,000 years ago, ancient viri which have been suppressed can be brought to life. By exposure to warming environments, where the frozen preservatives are no longer present..
We've seen so many articles about new (old?) diseases surfacing these days, is it accidental mere exposure of frozen soils bring these diseases back into the forefront? Maybe..
Maybe there is no conspiracy there, but environmental warming bring back what was buried long ago..
additional references, laymen's version on BBC: ref - http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26387276
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/73332000/jpg/_73332942_13-20670-large1.jpg
Definitions:
Acanthamoeba is a genus of amoebae, one of the most common protozoa in soil, and frequently found in fresh water and other habitats. Amoebae invade humans and other higher animals who swim in fresh water. Amoebae can also be present in mud puddles, and have created brain eating infections (as described earlier in the year, http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/acanthamoeba/gen_info/acanthamoeba.html)
Unicellular protists - you all know of "plankton" (spongebob squarepants) ? depicted as an "animated plankton-like protozoan organism", it is capable of moving around by its own power. http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/P/Protists.html - these creatures were endeavoring to develop as much capability but with ONE CELL as they could. Fascinating read.
Capsid - in viruses, the dna/rna information packet which is used to infect a host organism - Icosohedral refers to the shape of the information packet.
Eukaryotes - A eukaryote is any organism whose cells contain a nucleus and other structures enclosed within membranes.
Genome - the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded in the cell structure in the DNA or RNA.
Pandora-Virus - is a genus of very large viruses, with genomes much larger than those of any other known type of virus.
Virome - a collection of all the viruses that can be found in an area, or in an organism. In the article above the Siberian Virome would be the collection of viri known to be found in Siberia.
Cytoplasmic replication - a cytoplasmic replication cycle of virus structure can occur with no integration into the host cell genome.
"Thirty-thousand-year-old distant relative of giant icosahedral DNA viruses with a pandoravirus morphology" is how the article starts.
ref: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/02/26/1320670111
A Pandora-Virus? (oye that sounds insidious..)
Here is the Abstract below from the technical paper; afterwards we will endeavor to explain in laymen's words what it all is that they are saying..
Please try reading through it, it can be done.. :) I will put up some definitions at the bottom of the OP.
"Giant DNA viruses are visible under a light microscope and their genomes encode more proteins than some bacteria or intracellular parasitic eukaryotes.
"There are two very distinct types and infect unicellular protists such as Acanthamoeba.
"On one hand, Megaviridae possess large pseudoicosahedral capsids enclosing a megabase-sized adenine–thymine-rich genome, and on the other, the recently discovered Pandoraviruses exhibit micron-sized amphora-shaped particles and guanine–cytosine-rich genomes of up to 2.8 Megabytes (in size).
(all that describes how they are assembled, very complex for a virus with a LOT of machinery to duplicate themselves in their host organism)
"While initiating a survey of the Siberian permafrost, we isolated a third type of giant virus combining the Pandoravirus morphology with a gene content more similar to that of icosahedral DNA viruses.
(in other words, these viruses exhibit a type of "sacred geometry", in this case an icosahedra structure capable of infecting DNA)
"This suggests that pandoravirus-like particles may correspond to an unexplored diversity of unconventional DNA virus families.
(advanced viruses inhabited the world 30,000 years ago !! that is significant)
Abstract
"The largest known DNA viruses infect Acanthamoeba and belong to two markedly different families.
"The Megaviridae (this new (old) pandora-virus), exhibit pseudo-icosahedral virions up to 0.7 μm in diameter and adenine–thymine (AT)-rich genomes of up to 1.25 Mb encoding a thousand proteins.
"Like their Mimivirus prototype discovered 10 y ago, they entirely replicate within cytoplasmic virion factories.
(in other words they do their replication in the cell away from the DNA)
"In contrast, the recently discovered Pandoraviruses exhibit larger amphora-shaped virions 1 μm in length and guanine–cytosine-rich genomes up to 2.8 Mb long encoding up to 2,500 proteins.
(that is gargantuan - why would a virus need such a complex reproduction mechanism??)
"Their replication involves the host nucleus. Whereas the Megaviridae share some general features with the previously described icosahedral large DNA viruses, the Pandoraviruses appear unrelated to them.
"Here we report the discovery of a third type of giant virus combining an even larger pandoravirus-like particle 1.5 μm in length with a surprisingly smaller 600 kb AT-rich genome, a gene content more similar to Iridoviruses and Marseillevirus, and a fully cytoplasmic replication reminiscent of the Megaviridae.
(what was happening between 100,000 thru 30,000 years ago that virus development was becoming so advanced, so developed?_
"This suggests that pandoravirus-like particles may be associated with a variety of virus families more diverse than previously envisioned.
"This giant virus, named Pithovirus sibericum, was isolated from a >30,000-y-old radiocarbon-dated sample when we initiated a survey of the virome of Siberian permafrost.
(what in the world was happening in Siberia 100,000 thru 30,000 years ago which would lead to such viral development? Could those viri be exposed to the environment sometime between 30,000 years ago and present time?)
"The revival of such an ancestral amoeba-infecting virus used as a safe indicator of the possible presence of pathogenic DNA viruses, suggests that theGiant DNA viruses are visible under a light microscope and their genomes encode more proteins than some bacteria or intracellular parasitic eukaryotes.
"There are two very distinct types and infect unicellular protists such as Acanthamoeba. On one hand, Megaviridae possess large pseudoicosahedral capsids enclosing a megabase-sized adenine–thymine-rich genome, and on the other, the recently discovered Pandoraviruses exhibit micron-sized amphora-shaped particles and guanine–cytosine-rich genomes of up to 2.8 Mb.
"While initiating a survey of the Siberian permafrost, we isolated a third type of giant virus combining the Pandoravirus morphology with a gene content more similar to that of icosahedral DNA viruses. This suggests that pandoravirus-like particles may correspond to an unexplored diversity of unconventional DNA virus families.
The last section about revival should give one shivers..
"...the thawing of permafrost either from global warming or industrial exploitation of circumpolar regions might not be exempt from future threats to human or animal health."
omg..
Carrying this a bit further...
Drilling deep for oil into layers that have been buried for millions of years, what was present back then? What infections, what viri, what will be evoked when such is brought to the surface?
The scientists in the article above noted that from 30,000 years ago, ancient viri which have been suppressed can be brought to life. By exposure to warming environments, where the frozen preservatives are no longer present..
We've seen so many articles about new (old?) diseases surfacing these days, is it accidental mere exposure of frozen soils bring these diseases back into the forefront? Maybe..
Maybe there is no conspiracy there, but environmental warming bring back what was buried long ago..
additional references, laymen's version on BBC: ref - http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26387276
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/73332000/jpg/_73332942_13-20670-large1.jpg
Definitions:
Acanthamoeba is a genus of amoebae, one of the most common protozoa in soil, and frequently found in fresh water and other habitats. Amoebae invade humans and other higher animals who swim in fresh water. Amoebae can also be present in mud puddles, and have created brain eating infections (as described earlier in the year, http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/acanthamoeba/gen_info/acanthamoeba.html)
Unicellular protists - you all know of "plankton" (spongebob squarepants) ? depicted as an "animated plankton-like protozoan organism", it is capable of moving around by its own power. http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/P/Protists.html - these creatures were endeavoring to develop as much capability but with ONE CELL as they could. Fascinating read.
Capsid - in viruses, the dna/rna information packet which is used to infect a host organism - Icosohedral refers to the shape of the information packet.
Eukaryotes - A eukaryote is any organism whose cells contain a nucleus and other structures enclosed within membranes.
Genome - the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded in the cell structure in the DNA or RNA.
Pandora-Virus - is a genus of very large viruses, with genomes much larger than those of any other known type of virus.
Virome - a collection of all the viruses that can be found in an area, or in an organism. In the article above the Siberian Virome would be the collection of viri known to be found in Siberia.
Cytoplasmic replication - a cytoplasmic replication cycle of virus structure can occur with no integration into the host cell genome.