Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009 Apr;7(4):306-11. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro2108. Epub 2009 Mar 9.

Ten reasons to exclude viruses from the tree of life.

Source

Unité d'Ecologie, Systématique et Evolution, UMR CNRS 8,079, Université Paris-Sud, bâtiment 360, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France. david.moreira@u-psud.fr

Abstract

When viruses were discovered, they were accepted as missing links between the inert world and living organisms. However, this idea was soon abandoned as information about their molecular parasitic nature accumulated. Recently, the notion that viruses are living organisms that have had a role in the evolution of some essential features of cells has experienced a renaissance owing to the discovery of unusually large and complex viruses that possess typical cellular genes. Here, we contend that there is strong evidence against the notion that viruses are alive and represent ancient lineages of the tree of life.

Comment in

Reasons to include viruses in the tree of life. [Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009]
Reasons to include viruses in the tree of life.Hegde NR, Maddur MS, Kaveri SV, Bayry J. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009 Aug; 7(8):615; author reply 615.
Six comments on the ten reasons for the demotion of viruses. [Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009]
Six comments on the ten reasons for the demotion of viruses.Navas-Castillo J. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009 Aug; 7(8):615; author reply 615.
Ten good reasons not to exclude giruses from the evolutionary picture. [Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009]
Ten good reasons not to exclude giruses from the evolutionary picture.Claverie JM, Ogata H. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009 Aug; 7(8):615; author reply 615.
There is no such thing as a tree of life (and of course viruses are out!). [Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009]
There is no such thing as a tree of life (and of course viruses are out!).Raoult D. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009 Aug; 7(8):615; author reply 615.
Viral genomes are part of the phylogenetic tree of life. [Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009]
Viral genomes are part of the phylogenetic tree of life.Ludmir EB, Enquist LW. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009 Aug; 7(8):615; author reply 615.
Compelling reasons why viruses are relevant for the origin of cells. [Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009]
Compelling reasons why viruses are relevant for the origin of cells.Koonin EV, Senkevich TG, Dolja VV. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009 Aug; 7(8):615; author reply 615.

PMID:: 19270719; [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH Terms

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DNA, Viral

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Ten reasons to exclude viruses from the tree of life.
Ten reasons to exclude viruses from the tree of life.
Nat Rev Microbiol. 2009 Apr ;7(4):306-11. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro2108. Epub 2009 Mar 9 .

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