Genomics Research from Technology Networks By Original story from the University of Innsbruck
During a large-scale study of complex single-celled microbes, Dr. Christopher Bellas, Marie-Sophie Plakolb and Prof. Ruben Sommaruga from the Department of Ecology at the University of Innsbruck made an unexpected discovery. Built into the genome of the microbes, they found the DNA of over 30,000 previously unknown viruses. This “hidden” DNA may allow the replication of complete and functional viruses in the host cell.
“We were very surprised by how many viruses we found through this analysis,” says Bellas. “In some cases, up to 10% of a microbe’s DNA turned out to consist of hidden viruses.” These viruses do not appear to harm their hosts. On the contrary, some may even protect them. Many appear to be similar to so-called virophages. These viruses infect and destroy other, harmful viruses that infect their host cell.
The study, financed by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), was published in the renowned journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)” and was carried out in collaboration with researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research and the University of Groningen…
