| Phycodnaviruses | |
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| Virus classification | |
| Group: | Group I (dsDNA) |
| Family: | Phycodnaviridae |
| Genera | |
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Chlorovirus |
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Phycodnaviruses (members of the family Phyvodnaviridae) are large (160 to 560 thousand base pairs), double stranded DNA viruses that infect marine or freshwater eukaryotic algae. They belong to a super-group of large viruses known as nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs).
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Contents
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Phycodnaviruses have icosahedral morphology, an internal lipid membrane and replicate, completely or partly, in the cytoplasm of their host cells. The genomes range in size from 100 kilobases (kb) to >550 kb with G+C content between 40% and 50%.
Recent studies have revealed features in Phycodnavirus genomes such as sophisticated replication and transcription machineries, a novel type of potassium channel protein, genes involved in inducing apoptosis in the host genome, a sophisticated signal transduction and gene regulation system and genes for glycosylation of viral proteins.
All of the Phycodnaviruses encode a number of proteins involved in DNA replication or recombination, including a DNA-directed DNA polymerase. It is unclear if any of the Phycodnaviruses encode a fully functional replication machinery, however. They are thought to rely on host enzymes at least partially.
This group of viruses evolved from the Iridoviridae.[1]
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