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Helper Virus

All articles tagged with #helper virus

science2 years ago

Vampire Viruses: Unveiling the World's First Viral Attachment

Scientists have observed, for the first time, one virus attaching itself to another virus. Using an electron microscope, researchers captured the interaction between a satellite virus and a helper virus. The satellite virus relies on the helper virus to replicate its DNA once inside a host cell. The attachment occurs at the "neck" of the helper virus, where its outer shell connects to its tail. This discovery sheds light on the co-evolution and interaction between different types of bacteriophages, raising questions about their evolutionary strategies.

science2 years ago

Vampire Viruses: Unveiling the First-ever Virus-on-Virus Attachment

Scientists have observed a virus attaching to another virus for the first time. The virus in question is a bacteriophage, which infects bacteria, and also a satellite virus that relies on "helper" viruses to complete its life cycle. The discovery was made by undergraduate students analyzing bacteriophage sequences, and electron microscopy imaging confirmed the presence of satellite viruses attached to their helpers. The researchers believe this interaction between the viruses could be ancient, with the two co-evolving for at least 100 million years. The findings could help explain some cases of phage sequencing contamination and inspire further research into this phenomenon.

science2 years ago

Viral Fusion: Unprecedented Observation of Virus-Virus Interaction

Scientists have made the first-ever observation of one virus attaching to another virus. A team from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and Washington University in St. Louis discovered a satellite bacteriophage consistently attaching to a helper bacteriophage at the "neck" where the capsid joins the tail. This viral relationship suggests co-evolution for at least 100 million years. The discovery opens up new avenues for understanding viral interactions and the prevalence of satellite-helper systems.