Paleovirology
Paleovirology is the study of viruses that existed in the past but are now extinct. In general, viruses cannot leave behind physical fossils,
Terminology
Although there is no formal classification system for EVEs, they are categorised according to the taxonomy of their viral origin. Indeed, all known viral genome types and replication strategies, as defined by the Baltimore classification, have been found in the genomic fossil record.[5][6] Acronyms have been designated to describe different types of viral fossil.
- EVE: Endogenous viral element
- ERV: Endogenous retrovirus
- HERV: Human Endogenous Retrovirus
- NIRV: Viral fossils originating from non-retroviral RNA viruses have been termed Non-retroviral Integrated RNA Viruses or NIRVs.[7][8] Unlike other types of viral fossils, NIRV formation requires borrowing the integration machinery that is coded by the host genome or by a co-infecting retrovirus.[9]
Other viral fossils originate from DNA viruses such as
Resurrection
Successful attempts to "resurrect" extinct viruses from the DNA fossils have been reported.[11] In addition, Pithovirus sibericum was revived from a 30,000-year-old ice core harvested from permafrost in Siberia, Russia.[12][13]
See also
- Ancient DNA
- Endogenous retrovirus
- Human Genome Project
- Insertional mutagenesis
- Invertebrate iridescent virus 31
- Micropaleontology
- Paleobiology
- Paleogenetics
- Viral eukaryogenesis
References
- S2CID 7274625.
- ^ PMID 20161719.
- PMID 21124940.
- PMID 17018135.
- PMID 25771486.
- PMID 21124940.
- PMID 20021636.
- PMID 20067611.
- .
- ^ "Ancient "Fossil" Virus Shows Infection to Be Millions of Years Old", by Katherine Harmon, Scientific American, September 29, 2010
- ^ "How to Resurrect an Extinct Retrovirus", Scientific American, November 2, 2006
- S2CID 87146458.
- ^ Morelle, Rebecca (3 March 2014). "30,000-year-old giant virus 'comes back to life'". BBC News.