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Virophage
Viral parasites of giant viruses / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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 their own replication. One of the characteristics of virophages is that they have a parasitic relationship with the co-infecting virus. Their dependence upon the giant virus for replication often results in the deactivation of the giant viruses. The virophage may improve the recovery and survival of the host organism.
Lavidaviridae | |
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Sputnik virophage | |
Virus classification ![]() | |
(unranked): | Virus |
Realm: | Varidnaviria |
Kingdom: | Bamfordvirae |
Phylum: | Preplasmiviricota |
Class: | Maveriviricetes |
Order: | Priklausovirales |
Family: | Lavidaviridae |
Genera and species | |
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![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e7/Parasitic_lifestyle_of_virophages.png/640px-Parasitic_lifestyle_of_virophages.png)
(B) When the host cell is co-infected with a giant virus and its virophage, the latter parasitizes the giant virus factory. The presence of virophages could seriously impact the infectivity of the giant virus by decreasing its replication efficiency and increasing the survival of the host cell.
(C) When the giant virus genome is parasitized by a provirophage, the latter is expressed during the giant virus replication. The virophage is produced from the giant virus factory and inhibits the giant virus replication, thus increasing the host cell survival.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Virophages_and_satellite_virus_lifestyle.png/640px-Virophages_and_satellite_virus_lifestyle.png)
(B) The concept of satellite virus implicates that the virus initiates the expression and replication of its genome in the nucleus using the host cell machinery and then goes to the cytoplasm. In the cytoplasm, the satellite virus hijacks the morphogenesis machinery of its helper virus to produce its progeny.
All known virophages are grouped into the family Lavidaviridae (from "large virus dependent or associated" + -viridae).[2]