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Viruses: Essential Agents of Life

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A renaissance of virus research is taking centre stage in biology. Empirical data from the last decade indicate the important roles of viruses, both in the evolution of all life and as symbionts of host organisms. There is increasing evidence that all cellular life is colonized by exogenous and/or endogenous viruses in a non-lytic but persistent lifestyle. Viruses and viral parts form the most numerous genetic matter on this planet.

Author(s): Matti Jalasvuori (auth.), Günther Witzany (eds.)
Edition: 1
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Year: 2012

Language: English
Pages: 428
City: Dordrecht, Heidelberg, New York, London
Tags: Life Sciences, general; Virology; Evolutionary Biology; Microbiology; Parasitology; Microbial Genetics and Genomics

Front Matter....Pages i-xvi
Revolutionary Struggle for Existence: Introduction to Four Intriguing Puzzles in Virus Research....Pages 1-19
Quasispecies Dynamics of RNA Viruses....Pages 21-42
The Origin of Virions and Virocells: The Escape Hypothesis Revisited....Pages 43-60
Scratching the Surface of Biology’s Dark Matter....Pages 61-81
Virus Universe: Can It Be Constructed from a Limited Number of Viral Architectures....Pages 83-105
The Addiction Module as a Social Force....Pages 107-145
Viral Integration and Consequences on Host Gene Expression....Pages 147-175
Persistent Plant Viruses: Molecular Hitchhikers or Epigenetic Elements?....Pages 177-186
The Concept of Virus in the Post-Megavirus Era....Pages 187-202
Unpacking the Baggage: Origin and Evolution of Giant Viruses....Pages 203-216
Megavirales Composing a Fourth Domain of Life: Mimiviridae and Marseilleviridae ....Pages 217-244
On Viruses, Bats and Men: A Natural History of Food-Borne Viral Infections....Pages 245-267
LTR Retroelement-Derived Protein-Coding Genes and Vertebrate Evolution....Pages 269-282
Koala Retrovirus Endogenisation in Action....Pages 283-291
The Evolutionary Interplay Between Exogenous and Endogenous Sheep Betaretroviruses....Pages 293-307
Endogenous Retroviruses and the Epigenome....Pages 309-323
From Viruses to Genes: Syncytins....Pages 325-361
Hepatitis G Virus or GBV-C: A Natural Anti-HIV Interfering Virus....Pages 363-388
Salutary Contributions of Viruses to Medicine and Public Health....Pages 389-405
From Molecular Entities to Competent Agents: Viral Infection-Derived Consortia Act as Natural Genetic Engineers....Pages 407-419
Back Matter....Pages 421-427