Egress of archaeal viruses

Viruses of Archaea, arguably the most mysterious part of the virosphere due to their unique morphotypes and genome contents, exploit diverse mechanisms for releasing virus progeny from the host cell. These include virus release as a result of enzymatic degradation of cell wall or budding through it, common for viruses of Bacteria and Eukarya, as well as a unique mechanism of virus egress through small polygonal perforations on cell surface. The process of formation of these perforations includes the development of pyramidal structures on the membrane of infected cell, which gradually grow by expansion of their faces and eventually open like flower petals. This mechanism of virion release is operating exclusively in cells of hyperthermophilic hosts from the phylum Crenarchaeaota, which are encased solely by a layer of surface proteins, S-layer. The review focuses on recent developments in understanding structural and biochemical details of all three types of egress mechanisms of archaeal viruses.

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