PLASMIDS OF ARCHAEA AS POSSIBLE ANCESTORS OF DNA-CONTAINING VIRUSES

• Published in: Problems of Virology
• Main Authors: D. K. Lvov, T. E. Sizikova, V. N. Lebedev, S. V. Borisevich
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Russian
• Published: Central Research Institute for Epidemiology 2018
• Subjects: review; plasmids; archaea; vesicles; genome; gene; dna; viruses; structural proteins; cell membranes; Microbiology; QR1-502; Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.18821/0507-4088-2018-63-5-197-201; https://doaj.org/article/decab1468c24462094dcb55cc91139ac

Тhе kingdom Archaea, as well as Bacteria, belongs to the overkingdom Prokaryota. Halophilic archaea (Halorubrum lacusprofundi) isolated from Antarctic saline lakes contain plasmids (pR1SE) that code proteins taking part in the formation of membranes of archaea vesicles. The molecular and biological properties of pR1SE and the peculiarity of its interaction with sensitive cells are considered in this article. The role of structural proteins coded by pR1S in the process of formation of vesicle membrane complex is paid special attention. Plasmid-containing archaea vesicles model some properties of viruses. Archaea plasmids can be viewed as possible ancestors of DNA-containing viruses.