Viruses, virophages, and their living nature

ABSTRACT: Over 100 years viruses have fascinated scientists around the world. Although biologists, chemists, physicians, veterinarians, and even physicists attempted to elucidate the nature of viruses, the question still remains “Are viruses alive?” Different theories have aimed at unifying our views of virology to provide an answer. However, the discovery of a mimivirus, its genome organization and replication cycle, in addition to the recently found virophage challenged the established frontier between viruses and parasitic cellular organisms. Consequently, the old controversy whether viruses are inert agents at the threshold of life or a different form of life was reignited. This review reopens the debate about the living nature of viruses from the classical concepts to the recent discoveries in order to rationally discuss our beliefs about the living or non-living character of viruses.z

• Autores: Rodas González, Juan David; Ruiz Sáenz, Julián
• Tipo de recurso: Article of investigation
• Fecha de publicación: 2010
• Institución: Universidad de Antioquia
• Repositorio: Repositorio UdeA
• Idioma: eng
• OAI Identifier: oai:bibliotecadigital.udea.edu.co:10495/42267
• Acceso en línea: https://hdl.handle.net/10495/42267
• Palabra clave: Genoma Viral; Genome, Viral; Historia del Siglo XIX; History, 19th Century; Historia del Siglo XX; History, 20th Century; Historia del Siglo XXI; History, 21st Century; Mimiviridae; Virología - historia; Virology - history; Fenómenos Fisiológicos de los Virus; Virus Physiological Phenomena; Virófagos; Virophages; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D016679; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D049672; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D049673; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D049674; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D056686; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D014773; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D018406; https://id.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/D000071819
• Rights: openAccess
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/co/