Giant viruses,giant chimeras: The multiple evolutionary histories of Mimivirus genes |
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Authors: | David Moreira Céline Brochier-Armanet |
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Institution: | 1.Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, UMR CNRS 8079,Université Paris-Sud,Orsay Cedex,France;2.EA 3781 Evolution, Génome, Environnement,Université de Provence,Marseille,France |
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Abstract: | Background Although capable to evolve, viruses are generally considered non-living entities because they are acellular and devoid of
metabolism. However, the recent publication of the genome sequence of the Mimivirus, a giant virus that parasitises amoebas,
strengthened the idea that viruses should be included in the tree of life. In fact, the first phylogenetic analyses of a few
Mimivirus genes that are also present in cellular lineages suggested that it could define an independent branch in the tree
of life in addition to the three domains, Bacteria, Archaea and Eucarya. |
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