@article{fdi:010042763,
  title = {{T}he virophage as a unique parasite of the giant mimivirus},
  author = {{L}a {S}cola, {B}. and {D}esnues, {C}. and {P}agnier, {I}. and {R}obert, {C}. and {B}arrassi, {L}. and {F}ournous, {G}. and {M}erchat, {M}. and {S}uzan-{M}onti, {M}. and {F}orterre, {P}. and {K}oonin, {E}. and {R}aoult, {D}idier},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{V}iruses are obligate parasites of {E}ukarya, {A}rchaea and {B}acteria. {A}canthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus ( {APMV}) is the largest known virus; it grows only in amoeba and is visible under the optical microscope. {M}imivirus possesses a 1,185- kilobase double- stranded linear chromosome whose coding capacity is greater than that of numerous bacteria and archaea(1-3). {H}ere we describe an icosahedral small virus, {S}putnik, 50 nm in size, found associated with a new strain of {APMV}. {S}putnik cannot multiply in {A}canthamoeba castellanii but grows rapidly, after an eclipse phase, in the giant virus factory found in amoebae co- infected with {APMV}(4). {S}putnik growth is deleterious to {APMV} and results in the production of abortive forms and abnormal capsid assembly of the host virus. {T}he {S}putnik genome is an 18.343- kilobase circular double- stranded {DNA} and contains genes that are linked to viruses infecting each of the three domains of life {E}ukarya, {A}rchaea and {B}acteria. {O}f the 21 predicted protein- coding genes, eight encode proteins with detectable homologues, including three proteins apparently derived from {APMV}, a homologue of an archaeal virus integrase, a predicted primase helicase, a packaging {ATP}ase with homologues in bacteriophages and eukaryotic viruses, a distant homologue of bacterial insertion sequence transposase {DNA}- binding subunit, and a {Z}n- ribbon protein. {T}he closest homologues of the last four of these proteins were detected in the {G}lobal {O}cean {S}urvey environmental data set(5), suggesting that {S}putnik represents a currently unknown family of viruses. {C}onsidering its functional analogy with bacteriophages, we classify this virus as a virophage. {T}he virophage could be a vehicle mediating lateral gene transfer between giant viruses.},
  keywords = {},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{N}ature},
  volume = {455},
  numero = {7209},
  pages = {100--{NIL}_65},
  ISSN = {0028-0836},
  year = {2008},
  DOI = {10.1038/nature07218},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010042763},
}