Researchers at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa have made a groundbreaking discovery: a virus called FloV-SA2 encodes a protein essential for the creation of ribosomes, the molecular machines responsible for translating genetic information into proteins. This marks the first time a eukaryotic virus—one that infects organisms like plants, animals, and fungi—has been found to encode such a protein.
Viruses are essentially packets of genetic material encased in a protein shell. They replicate by entering a host cell, taking control of its replication machinery, and directing it to produce more virus particles. While simpler viruses rely heavily on the host cell's resources, more complex viruses, such as FloV-SA2, produce their own proteins to assist in their replication.
"We were excited to discover that this virus encodes a ribosomal protein called eL40," said Julie Thomy, the study's lead author and postdoctoral researcher in the Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography at UH Manoa. "While it makes sense that a virus could benefit from modifying this critical cell machinery, no evidence had ever been found in any eukaryotic virus."
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FloV-SA2 was isolated by researchers at the Marine Viral Ecology Laboratories (MarVEL) as part of an effort to study viruses in the ocean. The virus was identified from water samples taken at Station ALOHA, off the coast of O'ahu, Hawai'i, where phytoplankton species called Florenciella are infected.
The discovery sheds light on how viruses, particularly large "giant" viruses, possess genes that influence a variety of metabolic processes. Some of these functions, like those related to fermentation or light sensing, are unexpected in a virus. Although these genes seem to aid in virus replication, the exact mechanisms remain unclear. The researchers are now investigating how and when the ribosomal protein is utilized by the virus.
"Our hypothesis is that by inserting one of its own proteins into the ribosome, the virus alters this critical machinery to prioritize the production of viral proteins over those of the host cell," Thomy explained.
This research expands our understanding of the role viruses play in ocean ecosystems, where they impact biological productivity, community dynamics, and evolutionary processes. The discovery opens new possibilities for studying how viruses manipulate host cell metabolism to redirect resources and energy for their own replication.
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