The phylum Nucleocytoviricota includes the largest and most complex viruses known. These
“giant viruses” have a long evolutionary history that dates back to the early diversification of …

Giant viruses (Nucleocytoviricota) have a largely conserved lifecycle, yet how they cram their
large genomes into viral capsids is mostly unknown. The major capsid protein and the …

Viral capsids can adopt various geometries, most iconically characterized by icosahedral or
helical symmetries. Importantly, precise control over the size and shape of virus capsids …

Giant viruses (GVs) are a hotspot of unresolved controversies since their discovery,
including the definition of “Virus” and their origin. While increasing knowledge of genome …

Baculovirus is the most studied insect virus owing to a broad ecological distribution and
ease of engineering for biotechnological applications. However, its structure and …

Hyperparasitism is a common pattern in nature that is not limited to cellular organisms. Giant
viruses infecting protists can be hyperparasitized by smaller ones named virophages. In …

Most giant viruses including Mimiviridae family build large viral factories within the host
cytoplasms. These giant viruses are presumed to possess specific genes that enable the …

The capsid has a central role in viruses' life cycle. Although one of its major functions is to
protect the viral genome, the capsid may be composed of elements that, at some point …

The mimivirus 1.2 Mb genome was shown to be organized into a nucleocapsid-like genomic
fiber encased in the nucleoid compartment inside the icosahedral capsid. The genomic fiber …

Abstract The Mimivirus 1.2 Mb genome is organized into a nucleocapsid-like genomic fiber
composed of two closely related paralogs of GMC-oxidoreductase. Surprisingly, these …