Exploration of a novel archaeal virual DNA replication mechanism

Viruses are the most abundant biological entities on this planet. It is estimated that if you stack all viruses present on earth on top of each other, you would create a tower that stretches 200 light years into the universe. Viruses are everywhere, including in extreme environments, such as in natural boiling geysers. Viruses isolation from these ‘hot pools’ exhibit astonishing looks reflecting an egg or bottle. The stability of these viruses under ‘extreme conditions’ brings the possibility of life on other planets a bit closer. Viruses are very ancient and might even have originated before cells. One pretty example of an ‘extreme’ virus is the virus SIRV2, which exploits an unique mechanism to escape from the cell. On the cell surface it builds several pyramidal structures, which eventually pop open. The geometry of this structure is unrecorded in the living world and is so powerful that it could be used for targeted drug delivery of anti-cancer medication. We now propose a study in which this unusual virus is characterized further and with a special focus on its mechanism of replication. This will lead to a better understanding of the origin, evolution and diversity of viruses. Enzymes from these ‘extreme’ viruses are valuable because of their stability. This study will lead to novel biotechnological applications, by opening the vast reservoir of extreme enzyme functions, lurking out there in volcanic springs, waiting to be discovered.