PelV-1

A massive pandemic situated to the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre has been recently found and was known as the PelV-1 virus.  A long tail that is much longer than the known virus in the Pelagodinium plankton was found to be infected by this virus.  Around 19 times longer than the COVID-19 coronavirus, the tail is 2.3 micrometers in length.  The discovery contributes to significant new information concerning viruses in the marine ecosystem.

Discovery and Habitat

PelV-1 was identified in following waters that were 25 meters beneath in Station ALOHA North of Hawaii.  Scientists found the virus when it was attached to a planktonic organism Pelagodinium as a hitchhiker.  Very few viruses attack dinoflagellates such as Pelagodinium; only two other large DNA viruses are known to attack this group.

Distinct Morphology

The capsid of PelV-1 is 200 nanometers long with a tail of 2.3 micrometers long.  This tail is so far the longest viral appendage.  It is likely that the tail of PelV-1 facilitates attachment and entry of host cells unlike other viruses that lack a tail or have minimal amount.  Time-lapse photograph also states that the tail can only be formed outside the host since it adheres to plankton cells when the host is infected and disappears as soon as within the body of a virus.

Genome features

The virus has a large genome that has 459,000 base pairs covering 467 genes.  It is quite a shock that some of these genes are usually limited to living cells.  These comprise light-absorbing proteins, rhodopsins (light catching molecules) and genes concerned with energy production.  This means that PelV-1 might theoretically take advantage of the sun to power part of its lifecycle, and that would be suitable due to its habitat in the ocean layers that shelter the sunshine.

The Importance of the Environment

PelV-1 infects the important marine phytoplankton pelagodinium, which fish and zooplankton feed on.  This virus is able to help in the definition of the cycling of energy and nutrients within our ocean ecosystems.  It might also give some understanding of the workings of toxic algal blooms, which have both human health and marine organism effects.

Relevant Viruses and Future Research

Scientists discovered the less prevalent co-PelV with PelV-1 in the same culture.  Co-PelV possesses metabolic genes even though they do not have them in a tail although, these genes can alter the host behaviors and energy expenditure.  Future research aimed at understanding the role of the PelV-1 tail assembly and infection is to understand how the tail assembly works.  Scientists are also attempting to know whether other long-tailed viruses inhabit the waters.

Virology Significance

Larger viruses like PelV-1 challenge the conventional view of viruses.  Giant viruses, first discovered over 20 years ago, are larger than normal viruses, and have thousands of genes.  Its findings keep revealing novel complexities to the nature of viral life and to the realignment of biological categories.

PelV-1: Big Virus Virus Found In Hawaii

• Endoparasite of a planktonic organism Pelagodinium.
• A large genome of 459,000 base pairs, consisting of 467 genes.
• Infects marine planktons which assist in cycling of energy and nutrients.
• Another long-tailed virus whose tail assembly is to be acquired is PelV-1 in future research.