According to the news in IFL Science, the name and nature of mirusviruses are strange. In the new study, scientists explained that this virus, named with ‘mirus’ meaning ‘strange’ in Latin, belongs to a virus kingdom called Duplodnaviria (a type of large double-stranded DNA virus that includes herpesviruses such as the herpes simplex virus that causes cold sores).
MIRUS VIRUSES WITH PEOPLE…
Fortunately, mirusviruses are not interested in humans. They tend to infect only single-celled plankton. But this suggests that the ancestors of herpesviruses once infected single-celled organisms in the sea.
“THIS GROUP OF VIRUSES THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE IS HIGHLY UNIQUE”
Although their evolutionary legacy goes back to herpesviruses, many of the mirusvirus genes are similar to those of giant viruses (These are really big viruses, literally). However, researchers never seen before says this group of viruses is quite unique.
The authors of the study conclude that “Mirusviruses are significantly different from all other previously characterized DNA virus groups,” and add:
“The discovery reminds us that we do not yet fully understand the ecological and evolutionary complexity of even the double-stranded DNA viruses most abundant in important ecosystems such as the surface of our oceans and seas.”
The new viruses were found by scanning data collected with the expedition ship Tara Ocean. As part of this project, more than 35,000 virus, algae and plankton samples were collected from more than 200 different locations around the world. They also provided scientists with lots of data to work with and lots of opportunities to discover new species.
Study author Tom Delmont, an expert in microbial ecology at the French National Center for Scientific Research, said in a statement:
“SIGNIFICANT THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ADVENTURE”
“In 2019, our research team observed an unusual evolutionary signal in the huge amount of sequencing data provided by the Tara Oceans project. Following this signal, we discovered and then characterized a large group of DNA viruses: mirusviruses. The publication of this discovery in Nature marks the beginning of a new adventure. and it opens a door for the scientific community to detect and study mirusviruses in any ecosystem.”
The first author of the study, Morgan Gaïa, “Tara Oceans has changed our understanding of plankton ecology. Our study proves that this incredible expedition also answers fundamental evolutionary questions. There is much to discover and understand about mirusviruses.” he added.
The study was published in the journal Nature.
(Photos are representative)