New Giant Virus Discovered in Remote, Siberia Permafrost is 30000 Years Old

A new type of giant virus has been discovered-and now scientists are taking a closer look at it. Found in the same sample of 30,000-year-old Siberian permafrost from which Pithovirus had already been isolated, the new virus may tell scientists a bit more about the evolution of these viruses.

The new virus actually represents a fourth family of giant viruses that infect amoebae of the Acanthamoeba genus. It was found in the extreme northeast of Siberia. The researchers were able to isolate, amplify and then characterize the new virus, which they dubbed Mollivirus sibericum.

The virus itself takes the form of a roughly spherical particle, about .6 μm long. It contains a genome of about 650,000 base pairs coding for more than 500 proteins. Most of these proteins don't look at all like those of its Siberian predecessor, Pthovirus sibericum. In addition, unlike Pithovirus, Mollivirus sibericum uses the cell nucleus to replicate in the amoeba, which makes it as host-dependent as most "small" viruses.

The new discover suggests that giant viruses aren't as rare as once thought. In addition, it seems that they're highly diversified. The findings also prove that the ability of viruses to survive in permafrost for very long periods is not restricted to a particular viral type, but probably covers viral families with varies replication strategies.

The findings reveal a bit more about these viruses and show a bit more about the evolution of viruses in general. The scientists plan to continue to look at whether other giant viruses are still hidden in the permafrost.

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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