Mimiviruses: Most Cell-like Viruses Till Now

The research team headed by Didier Raoult, has recently discovered a new giant virus Mimiviruses. This discovery has left the biologists all over the world fascinated.

The unique ability of these viruses is that they encode the proteins that are involved in the translation. This unique aspect got the researchers interested in finding out the origin of all such viruses. The study has resulted in formulation of hypotheses that state that either the viruses have emerged from a giant cell or from other comparatively small viruses. It is being said that another virus, Klosneuvirus which was found in a wastewater treatment plant supports the theory of small viruses. Scientists have put forwards a statement that the Klosneuvirus belongs to family Mimiviridae.

Since these viruses may include components and proteins of many other viruses, the idea of cellular life of these seems like a fairly significant concept. Further studies show that these viruses are more cell-like than the other viruses that have been discovered up till now. 

Content: www.sci-news.com