Mavirus

{{Short description|Genus of viruses}} {{italic title}} {{Virusbox | name = ''Mavirus'' | image = Giant virus CroV with its virophage Mavirus.png | image_alt = | image_caption = The virophage ''Mavirus'' (lower left) with its associated giant virus ''CroV'' <ref name=duponchel >Duponchel, S. and Fischer, M.G. (2019) "Viva lavidaviruses! Five features of virophages that parasitize giant DNA viruses". ''PLoS pathogens'', '''15'''(3). {{doi|10.1371/journal.ppat.1007592|doi-access=free}}. 50px Material was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License].</ref> | parent = Mavirus | species = Mavirus cafeteriae | synonyms = | synonyms_ref = }}

'''''Mavirus''''' is a genus of double stranded DNA virus that can infect the marine phagotrophic flagellate ''Cafeteria roenbergensis'', but only in the presence of the giant ''CroV'' virus (''Rheavirus sinusmexicani'').<ref name=Fischer2011>{{cite journal |author=Fischer MG, Suttle CA |title=A virophage at the origin of large DNA transposons |journal=Science |volume=332 |issue=6026 |pages=231–4 |date=April 2011 |pmid=21385722 |doi=10.1126/science.1199412 |bibcode=2011Sci...332..231F |s2cid=206530677 }}</ref> The genus contains only one species: ''Mavirus cafeteriae''. ''Mavirus'' can integrate into the genome of cells of ''C. roenbergensis'', and thereby confer immunity to the population <ref name=Fischer2016>{{cite journal |author=Fischer MG, Hackl |title=Host genome integration and giant virus-induced reactivation of the virophage mavirus |journal=Nature |volume=540 |issue=7632 |pages=288–91 |date=December 2016 |pmid=27929021 |doi=10.1038/nature20593 |bibcode=2016Natur.540..288F |s2cid=4458402 }}</ref>

The name is derived from Maverick virus.

The virophage was discovered by Matthias G. Fischer of the University of British Columbia while he was working on Cafeteria roenbergensis virus as part of his PhD. __TOC__

==Virology== The genome is 19,063 bases long and encodes 20 predicted coding sequences. Seven have homology to the Maverick/Polinton family of transposons.<ref name="Fischer2011" />

The genome encodes a retroviral integrase, an adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase), a cysteine protease<ref name=duponchel /> and a protein primed DNA polymerase B.<ref name=Fischer2011 />

==Classification== ''Mavirus'' is the sole genus in the family ''Maviroviridae'', which is the sole family in the order ''Lavidavirales''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Virus Taxonomy: 2024 Release|url=https://ictv.global/taxonomy|publisher=International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses|access-date=16 March 2025}}</ref> ''Lavidavirales'' is in the class ''Virophaviricetes'', which contains all virophages.<ref>{{cite web|vauthors=Koonin EV, Fischer MG, Yutin N, Kuhn JH, Krupovic M|date=10 April 2024|title=Reorganization of the realm ''Varidnaviria''|url=https://ictv.global/system/files/proposals/pending/Animal%20DNA%20viruses%20and%20Retroviruses%20%28D%29%20proposals/2024.010D.A.v2.Varidnaviria_reorg.docx|format=docx|publisher=International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses|access-date=16 March 2025|archive-date=31 March 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250331125423/https://ictv.global/system/files/proposals/pending/Animal%20DNA%20viruses%20and%20Retroviruses%20(D)%20proposals/2024.010D.A.v2.Varidnaviria_reorg.docx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

Category:Double-stranded DNA viruses Category:Virophages Category:Virus genera