This Newly Discovered Virus Replicates in a Completely Unknown Way

[Judi Lynn]

By Yasemin Saplakoglu - Staff Writer 11 hours ago



A newly discovered virus seems to lack the proteins needed to replicate itself. Yet somehow, it's thriving, according to a new study.

To find this mysterious virus, a group of researchers in Japan have spent nearly a decade analyzing pig and cow poop for novel viruses. These dirty environments, where lots of animals constantly interact, are a good place for viruses to quickly evolve, according to a statement from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology in Japan.

The researchers have found on farms several novel viruses that have recombined — meaning that two or more viruses have swapped genetic material. But they were particularly intrigued when they found a new type of enterovirus G (EV-G), which is composed of a single strand of genetic material. This new virus was formed from an enterovirus G and another type, called a torovirus.

Mysteriously, the newly discovered microbe lacks a feature present in all other known viruses — so called “structural proteins” that help the parasite attach to and enter host cells, then replicate. Though the new enterovirus lacks the genes that code for these structural proteins, it does have a couple of "unknown" genes, according to the researchers.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/new-virus-discovered-lacking-important-proteins.html

[Javaman]

1. personally, I welcome our mysterious virus overlords. nt