Mirusviruses were detected in metagenomic datasets, but little is known about how they infect their hosts. Here, the authors characterize mirusviruses in the marine protist Aurantiochytrium, detecting...

Mechanisms of membrane fusion and determinants of host range for pathogens remain poorly understood. Improved understanding of these concepts could open new areas for therapeutic development and shed light on virus epidemiology. Our analyses of NSP1-1 proteins from species B, G, and I rotaviruses provide insights into the variability tolerated by functional FAST proteins. Further, the observation that all putative FAST proteins tested can induce syncytium formation in at least some cell types provides evidence that rotaviruses that encode NSP1-1 proteins are fusogenic viruses. Finally, although the criteria for their specificity remain unclear, our observations regarding fusion capacities of different NSP1-1 proteins and of chimeric FAST proteins suggest a potential role for rotavirus FAST proteins in determining the efficiency of viral replication within a given host or cell type.

Most eukaryotic mRNAs contain a poly(A) tail, which in post-embryonic cells enhances their stability. Many cytoplasmic RNA viruses also harbor poly(A) tails on their genomic RNA and mRNAs. Here, we re...

Stem cell differentiation is controlled by manipulating RNA condensates.

SARS-CoV-2 is under strong evolutionary selection to acquire mutations in its spike protein that reduce neutralization by human polyclonal antibodies. Here we use pseudovirus-based deep mutational sca...

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immune escape strategies include general inhibition of host gene expression referred to as host shutoff. Viral non-structural protein 1 (Ns...

Background Endogenized giant viruses are emerging as major contributors to the genome evolution of microbial eukaryotes, with both degraded and fully functional latent viruses being found integrated i...

Findings speak to the dramatic impact ants and termites can have on mammalian evolution

From student to researcher, a career in science can come with a high price tag. This Perspective explores how persistent financial barriers limit who can succeed in science, revealing how wealth shape...

The gH-associated tropism and entry (GATE) complex consists of glycoprotein H, UL116 and UL141. This complex is abundant on human cytomegalovirus virions and enables entry into human endothelial cells...

Stanford researchers have developed a technology that delivers RNA to damaged neurons and stimulates regrowth – paving the way for potential treatments targeting neurodegenerative diseases like ALS…

Targeting a non-natural micropeptide ‘killswitch’ to several biomolecular condensates altered condensate compositions and revealed condensate functions in human cells

Coronaviruses can evolve novel transcription regulatory sequences, generating new RNA transcripts during human infection. This study identifies a prevalent subgenomic RNA in SARS-CoV-2, which produces...