''Mavirus'' is a genus of

double stranded DNA virus A DNA virus is a virus that has a genome made of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) that is replicated by a DNA polymerase. They can be divided between those that have two strands of DNA in their genome, called double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) viruses, and ...

that can infect the marine

phagotrophic Phagocytosis () is the process by which a cell uses its plasma membrane to engulf a large particle (≥ 0.5 μm), giving rise to an internal compartment called the phagosome. It is one type of endocytosis. A cell that performs phagocytosis is c ...

flagellate ''

Cafeteria roenbergensis ''Cafeteria roenbergensis'' is a small bacterivorous marine flagellate. It was discovered by Danish marine ecologist Tom Fenchel and named by him and taxonomist David J. Patterson in 1988. It is in one of three genera of bicosoecids, and the fi ...

'', but only in the presence of the giant ''

CroV ''Cafeteria roenbergensis virus'' (CroV) is a giant virus that infects the marine bicosoecid flagellate ''Cafeteria roenbergensis'', a member of the microzooplankton community. History The virus was isolated from seawater samples collected fro ...

'' virus (''Cafeteria roenbergensis''). The genus contains only one species, ''Cafeteriavirus-dependent mavirus''. ''Mavirus'' can integrate into the genome of cells of ''C. roenbergensis'', and thereby confer immunity to the population The name is derived from Maverick virus. The virophage was discovered by Matthias G. Fischer of the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

while he was working on Cafeteria roenbergensis virus as part of his PhD. __TOC__

Virology

The genome is 19,063 bases in length and encodes 20 predicted coding sequences. Seven have homology to the Maverick/

Polinton Polintons (also called Mavericks) are large DNA transposons which contain genes with homology to viral proteins and which are often found in eukaryotic genomes. They were first discovered in the mid-2000s and are the largest and most complex kno ...

family of

transposon A transposable element (TE, transposon, or jumping gene) is a nucleic acid sequence in DNA that can change its position within a genome, sometimes creating or reversing mutations and altering the cell's genetic identity and genome size. Transpo ...

s. The genome encodes a retroviral

integrase Retroviral integrase (IN) is an enzyme produced by a retrovirus (such as HIV) that integrates—forms covalent links between—its genetic information into that of the host cell it infects. Retroviral INs are not to be confused with phage int ...

, an adenosine triphosphatase ( ATPase), a

cysteine protease Cysteine proteases, also known as thiol proteases, are hydrolase enzymes that degrade proteins. These proteases share a common catalytic mechanism that involves a nucleophilic cysteine thiol in a catalytic triad or dyad. Discovered by Gopal Ch ...

and a protein primed

DNA polymerase A DNA polymerase is a member of a family of enzymes that catalyze the synthesis of DNA molecules from nucleoside triphosphates, the molecular precursors of DNA. These enzymes are essential for DNA replication and usually work in groups to create ...

Classification

''Mavirus'' is a genus in the family ''

Lavidaviridae Virophages are small, double-stranded DNA viral phages that require the co-infection of another virus. The co-infecting viruses are typically giant viruses. Virophages rely on the viral replication factory of the co-infecting giant virus for t ...

'', which has been established by the

International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) authorizes and organizes the taxonomic classification of and the nomenclatures for viruses. The ICTV has developed a universal taxonomic scheme for viruses, and thus has the means to ap ...

in 2016.

References

Double-stranded DNA viruses Virophages Virus genera {{virus-stub