TY - JOUR
TI - Mimiviruses: Giant viruses with novel and intriguing features (Review)
AU - Kalafati, E.
AU - Papanikolaou, E.
AU - Marinos, E.
AU - Anagnou, N.P.
AU - Pappa, K.I.
JO - Molecular Medicine Reports
PY - 2022
VL - 25
TODO - 6
SP - null
PB - NLM (Medline)
SN - 1791-3004
TODO - 10.3892/mmr.2022.12723
TODO - amoeba (life cycle stage);  CRISPR Cas system;  genetics;  giant virus;  human;  Mimiviridae;  virus capsid, Amoeba;  Capsid;  CRISPR-Cas Systems;  Giant Viruses;  Humans;  Mimiviridae
TODO - The Mimivirus is a giant virus that infects amoebae and was long considered to be a bacterium due to its size. The viral particles are composed of a protein capsid of ~500 nm in diameter, which is enclosed in a polysaccharide layer in which ~120‑140 nm long fibers are embedded, resulting in an overall diameter of 700 nm. The virus has a genome size of 1.2 Mb DNA, and surprisingly, replicates only in the cytoplasm of the infected cells without entering the nucleus, which is a unique characteristic among DNA viruses. Their existence is undeniable; however, as with any novel discovery, there is still uncertainty concerning their pathogenicity mechanisms in humans and the nature of the Mimivirus virophage resistance element system (MIMIVIRE), a term given to describe the immune network of the Mimivirus, which closely resembles the CRISPR‑Cas system. The scope of the present review is to discuss the recent developments derived from structural and functional studies performed on the distinctive characteristics of the Mimivirus, and from studies concerning their putative clinical relevance in humans.
ER -