Abstract. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) is a powerful tool for visualising the spatial organisation of microbial communities. However, traditio

Adelaide, South Australia. Nov. 24-

The details surrounding the early evolution of eukaryotes and their viruses are largely unknown. Several key enzymes involved in DNA synthesis and transcription are shared between eukaryotes and large DNA viruses in the phylum Nucleocytoviricota, but the evolutionary relationships between these genes remain unclear. In particular, previous studies of eukaryotic DNA and RNA polymerases often show deep-branching clades of eukaryotes and viruses indicative of ancient gene exchange. Here, we performed updated phylogenetic analysis of eukaryotic and viral family B DNA polymerases, multimeric RNA polymerases, and mRNA-capping enzymes to explore their evolutionary relationships. Our results show that viral enzymes form clades that are typically adjacent to eukaryotes, suggesting that they originate prior to the emergence of the Last Eukaryotic Common Ancestor (LECA). The machinery for viral DNA replication, transcription, and mRNA capping are all key processes needed for the maintenance of virus factories, which are complex structures formed by many nucleocytoviruses during infection, indicating that viruses capable of making these structures are ancient. These findings hint at a diverse and complex pre-LECA virosphere and indicate that large DNA viruses may encode proteins that are relics of extinct proto-eukaryotic lineages.

The Genome Taxonomy Database (GTDB) is an initiative to establish a standardised microbial taxonomy based on genome phylogeny.

Until now, it’s been very hard for scientists to establish a detailed timeline of the early evolution of bacteria.

A listing of software, tools and databases useful for virome analysis - shandley/awesome-virome

Help us drive the next wave of innovation in Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) discovery and genome analysis by sharing your valuable experiences and insights. This in-depth survey aims at understa...

Fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) is a powerful tool for visualising the spatial organisation of microbial communities. However, traditional FISH has several limitations, including ​​limited p...

Fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) is a powerful tool for visualising the spatial organisation of microbial communities. However, traditional FISH has several limitations, including ​​limited p...