Pandora virus, the "Pinocchio" of the genetic world

Pandora virus, the "Pinocchio" of the genetic world

June 28, 2018 Source: Science and Technology Daily

Many people are very familiar with the story of the amiable old carpenters Pippano and Pinocchio in Pinocchio. Can you know? In the world of genes carrying genetic information of life passwords, there are also "the existence of God" like Pippano and Pinocchio. Recently, the three Pandora viruses newly discovered by French scientists in the research may be good at creating new genes and discovering many orphan genes in the huge genome of the virus. How does the "magic box" of Pandora virus make new genes? With curiosity, the reporter interviewed scientists who studied the virus.

1 micron in diameter, the "big chunk" of the virus world

In 2013, scientists discovered two new giant viruses in the mud surface of the sediments of the Central Coast River in Chile and the bottom mud of a freshwater pond near Melbourne, Australia. Scientists have found that they are very different from other known viruses. Only 6% of genes are similar to those of other organisms on the planet. They have a completely independent gene lineage, and their uniqueness belongs to a new classification. Thus, the two viruses were named as salt pandora virus and sweet pandora virus, respectively.

"In the world of viruses, the Pandora virus is a 'big chunk', which is much larger than all the viruses known to humans." On June 24, Professor Liu Xinqi of the State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry Biology of Nankai University opened the door to technology. The daily reporter said, "The virus is 1 micron in diameter, the genome contains 1.9 million to 2.5 million base pairs of DNA, and the volume is second in the virus world, and the genome size ranks first."

Liu Xinqi said that the Pandora virus resides in the amoeba and its shape is very similar to that of bacteria. Previously, most of the traditional viruses discovered by humans ranged in diameter from 10 nanometers to 500 nanometers. The largest known virus in the world, the "Meg virus", is only 440 nanometers in size. "The size of the Pandora virus's genetic code exceeds that of Meg. Twice." Liu Xinqi said side by side. "At present, the scientific community still does not know why this cell morphology will evolve into a virus. Some people speculate that they may have evolved themselves for survival. There is also a scientific speculation, maybe It is the genetic information obtained from the host so that they survive the unusual genome."

Good at innovation, making genotypes only

Will this huge virus pose a threat to human health? In the face of reporters' doubts, Liu Xinqi said with a smile: "Whether the virus can attack people depends on its close relationship with human beings. Human genes are constantly evolving, and the longer the virus is stored, the farther it is from human beings. The more harmless these are. Giant viruses can attack amoeba amoeba, but it is not dangerous to human health."

In the interview, the reporter learned that so far, scientists have discovered six Pandora viruses. The sources of these viruses are scattered around the world, and the morphology and function of the viruses are very similar. However, the study found that the genome similarity between each virus is not high, and even half of the genes encoding proteins are identical. "Modern life sciences generally believe that all living things on earth have a common ancestor, and most genes have homologous genes with high similarity in various organisms." Liu Xinqi explained that in the Pandora virus, many others were found in the Pandora virus. A sequence that cannot be found in biology, seems to have no genes for no reason. "These genes are like children without parents. They are like a single orphan in the DNA world." Although scientists have already captured this "orphan gene" in other living organisms, in the Pandora virus, "orphan genes" It is especially numerous and not identical to each other.

"These genes are not the inheritances inherited from the ancestors, but the new inventions of each virus." Liu Xinqi believes that if this research view can be scientifically proven, it means that the Pandora virus is not only good at genetic innovation, but also "innovation." The mechanism is more conducive to unlocking the origin of new genes in biological evolution.

Orphan genes, the "miracle" in life

Wing protein controls insect flight, corals, jellyfish, etc. have long stinging cells, and Arctic squid is particularly resistant to freezing... Science has confirmed that these unique functions are evolved from the manipulation of orphan genes. In the past, biologists generally believed that most genes can be grouped into several families, and each family has a long history of millions of years. Since the introduction of gene sequencing technology, scientists have been surprised to find that as many as one-third of each species is always single-shaped. In 1998, when scientists completed the sequencing of the yeast genome, it was found that about one-third of the yeast genes could not find the same family of genes. The "orphan gene" has since entered the field of life scientists.

Each gene may be inadvertently copied, and most of the copied copies will soon disappear, but some lucky ones can function with the genuine genes, and even more can develop new functions. "Genes are also like the common animal kingdom. With the proliferation of generations and generations, the leaves will eventually become a big family." Liu Xinqi said, "Although some scientists keep tracking, try to be more." The orphan gene 'find to the 'ancestor'. But so far, its research is still in its infancy."

Looking back, I can't find a way, because we have never walked. Liu Xinqi believes that, like Pinocchio carved out of wood, the orphan gene is actually a coincidence that has been gradually carved out by nature. "Once the veil is unveiled, it will help us better understand life and master the future. Liu Xinqi said.

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