Survey of high-resolution archaeal virus structures

• Published in: Current opinion in virology 2019-06, Vol.36, p.74-83
• Main Authors: Hartman, Ross, Munson-McGee, Jacob, Young, Mark J, Lawrence, Charles Martin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1879-6257; 1879-6265
• DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2019.05.008

[Display omitted] •Structure links some archaeal viruses to bacteriophages and eukaryotic viruses.•Others display morphologies and capsid proteins found only in archaeal viruses.•Environmental conditions may promote unique structural adaptations.•Bioinformatic analysis indicates many structurally undetermined virus families. Archaeal viruses exhibit diverse morphologies whose structures are just beginning to be explored at high-resolution. In this review, we update recent findings on archaeal structural proteins and virion architectures and place them in the biological context in which these viruses replicate. We conclude that many of the unusual structural features and dynamics of archaeal viruses aid their replication and survival in the chemically harsh environments, in which they replicate. Furthermore, we should expect to find more novel features from examining the high-resolution structures of additional archaeal viruses.