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. 2009 Jun;83(11):5296-308.
doi: 10.1128/JVI.00151-09. Epub 2009 Mar 18.

Virology in the 21st century

L W Enquist  1 ; Editors of the Journal of Virology
Collaborators, Affiliations

Virology in the 21st century

L W Enquist et al. J Virol. 2009 Jun.
No abstract available

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Viruses pose important global public health challenges. Concern is heightened by population growth and environmental changes, which might facilitate the transmission of animal viruses into humans. This trend may be accelerated by global warming. This figure shows the three-dimensional organization of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) revealed by cryoelectron tomography. RVFV (Bunyaviridae, Phlebovirus) is an emerging human and veterinary pathogen responsible for recurring epidemics throughout Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. RVFV has the potential to cause hemorrhagic fever in humans. Tomographic reconstruction of RVFV vaccine strain MP-12 revealed a capsid containing 122 capsomeres arranged in an icosahedral lattice with T=12 quasisymmetry. The virus particle is enwrapped with a map of the earth looking down at the African continent, and the mosquito represents the vector for RVFV. Frozen-hydrated RVFV MP-12 particles are shown in the foreground. (This figure first appeared on the cover of the Journal of Virology, November 2008, vol. 82, no. 21. [See related article on p. 10341.])
Figure 2
Figure 2
Viruses come in all shapes and sizes. Unbiased sequencing efforts have revealed an astonishing diversity of viruses. Shown here is an image of negatively stained nucleocapsids of a polydnavirus from the ichneumonid parasitoid Glypta fumiferanae. Mature virions consist of several nucleocapsids surrounded by two envelopes; the latter cannot be distinguished here because of the detergent treatment used to expose the nucleocapsids. Each nucleocapsid is believed to package more than one and possible many double-stranded circular DNA molecules, but it remains unclear whether each nucleocapsid, or virion, contains the full spectrum of more than 100 genome segments. (Micrograph by Don Stolz.) (This figure first appeared on the cover of the Journal of Virology, January 2008, vol. 82, no. 2. [See related article in June 2007, vol. 81, no. 12, p. 6491.])
Figure 3
Figure 3
Whole viral genome sequences have revolutionized our ability to identify and characterize viral genes and have revealed evolutionary relationships between viruses. Nudiviruses are proposed to be a new genus of viruses isolated from different orders of insects, e.g., Orthoptera, Coleoptera, and Lepidoptera. The complete genome of a nudivirus infecting the cricket Gryllus bimaculatus suggests a common ancestor of nudiviruses and baculoviruses. Despite their differing morphology, these viruses share similar genes involved in virus structure, the infection process, and gene transcription. (The genome map was drawn using Genevision software; the contribution of G. Rossen, C. Bauser, and T. Bopp to the artwork is acknowledged.) (This figure first appeared on the cover of the Journal of Virology, December 2007, vol. 81, no. 23. [See related article in May 2007, vol. 81, no. 10, p. 5395.])
Figure 4
Figure 4
Numerous technical advances, including the ability to label and visualize viral genes and gene products, combined with sophisticated imaging techniques, have yielded unprecedented insights into the details of viral replication, including the impact of coinfection with more than one virus. Studies of interactions between viruses in coinfected hosts are likely to uncover important new strategies for viral commensalism and parasitism. Live covisualization of competing adeno-associated virus (AAV) and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) DNA replication. Replicating AAV DNA containing lac operator sequences was visualized by binding of a red fluorescent protein fused to lac repressor protein (red), while the replication of HSV-1 DNA containing tetracycline operator sequences was visualized by binding of enhanced yellow fluorescent protein fused to the tetracycline repressor DNA binding domain (green). AAV and HSV-1 DNA replication occurred in spatially separate nuclear compartments, which were often found in juxtaposition. Blue, Hoechst stain; scale in micrometers. (This figure first appeared on the cover of the Journal of Virology, May 2007, vol. 81, no. 9. [See related article on p. 4732.])
Figure 5
Figure 5
Viral-sequence information has revolutionized viral epidemiology, allowing the spread of an epidemic to be tracked and its evolution through space and time to be monitored. The transmission history of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) can be elucidated from complete genome sequence analysis of the virus, enabling epidemiological tracing of the virus between infected premises. The United Kingdom map shows the locations of premises infected during the 2001 FMDV outbreak. The structure is a representation of FMDV British field strain (serotype O), showing the alpha-carbon backbone (accession IFOD), courtesy of Nick Knowles, Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, United Kingdom. (This figure first appeared on the cover of the Journal of Virology, January 2007, vol. 81, no. 1. [See related article in November 2006, vol. 80, no. 22, p. 11274.])
Figure 6
Figure 6
Viruses inhabit all ecological niches. The isolation and characterization of viruses from unconventional habitats are providing new views of virus diversity, evolution, and function. Wherever life is found, so are viruses. The hot and acidic waters of hot springs, such as those in Yellowstone National Park, are no exception. Species of the archaeal organism Sulfolobus thrive at high temperatures and low pH and are host to a number of virus strains, including the double-stranded DNA virus Sulfolobus turreted icosahedral virus (STIV). The characterization of STIV particles and virus-encoded proteins is leading to a better understanding of the origin and evolution of this group of viruses. (This figure first appeared on the cover of the Journal of Virology, August 2006, vol. 80, no. 16. [See related article in August 2006, vol. 80, no. 15, p. 7625.])
Figure 7
Figure 7
Since the discovery of the first virus, tobacco mosaic virus, more than 100 years ago, the study of plant viruses has provided fundamental insights into numerous aspects of biology, including biochemistry, structural biology, genetics, and, as illustrated here, evolutionary biology. Shown here is a schematic diagram of the distribution of virus diversity in a single plant host, with different colors of branches and leaves illustrating the diversity of haplotypes isolated from different locations on a single, chronically infected host tree. The results demonstrate that several distinct subpopulations of Plum pox virus differentiate and evolve independently in different locations of a single tree. Closely related colors represent closely related haplotypes. (Photo provided by Michel Yvon, Chiraz Jridi, and Stéphane Blanc.) (This figure first appeared on the cover of the Journal of Virology, June 2006, vol. 80, no. 12. [See related article in March 2006, vol. 80, no. 5, p. 2349.])
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