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Marseilleviridae

Marseilleviridae is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Marseilleviridae rather than just read about it. In short: Marseilleviridae is a family of viruses first named in 2012. The genomes of these viruses are double-stranded DNA.

Marseilleviridae — main illustration
Marseilleviridae — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Marseilleviridae belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Marseilleviridae to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Marseilleviridae from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Marseilleviridae is a family of viruses first named in 2012. The genomes of these viruses are double-stranded DNA. Amoeba are often hosts, but there is evidence that they are found in humans as well. The family contains one genus and four species, two of which are unassigned to a genus. It is a member of the nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses clade.

Taxonomy The genus contains the following genera and species:

Marseillevirus Marseillevirus massiliense Marseillevirus senegalense Losannavirus: Losannavirus lausannense Losannavirus tunisense

Related Viruses

Additional species have since been recognized. The first member of this family recognized has been named Acanthamoeba polyphaga marseillevirus. A second member is Acanthamoeba castellanii lausannevirus. Two additional viruses have been isolated but have yet to be named. Another member of this family has been isolated from blood donors. An isolate from insects—Insectomime virus—has also been reported. The viruses appear to fall into at least 3 lineages: (1) Marseillevirus and Cannes8virus (2) Insectomime and Tunisvirus and (3) Lausannevirus. A sixth potential member of this family—Melbournevirus—appears to be related to the Marseillevirus/Cannes8virus clade. A seventh virus—Brazilian Marseillevirus—has been reported. This virus appears to belong to a fourth lineage of virus in this family. Another virus—Tokyovirus—has also been reported. Another member of this family is Kurlavirus. In 2017, it was proposed that the family contained the following five lineages: Lineage A

Cannes 8 virus Marseillevirus marseillevirus Marseillevirus shanghai Melbournvirus Senegalvirus Tokyovirus Lineage B

Kurlavirus Lausannevirus Noumeavirus Port-miou virus Lineage C

Insectomime virus Tunisvirus Lineage D

Brazilian marseillevirus Lineage E

Golden marseillevirus Another putative member of this family is Marseillevirus shanghai. If this virus is confirmed, it would belong to the A lineage.

Structure Viruses in Marseilleviridae have icosahedral geometries. The diameter is around 250 nm. Genomes are circular, around 372kb in length. The genome has 457 open reading frames.

Life cycle DNA-templated transcription is the method of transcription. Amoeba serve as the natural host.

Genomics A promoter sequence—AAATATTT—has been found associated with 55% of the identified genes in this virus. Most of these sequences occur in multiple copies.

History One of the first members of this family was described in 2009. Other members described around then (2007) and since then have been documented.

References

External links Viralzone: Marseilleviridae ICTV

Illustrations

Marseilleviridae: The typical form of the virions of the Marseilleviridae is, in principle, similar to that of the Mimiviridae.
The typical form of the virions of the Marseilleviridae is, in principle, similar to that of the Mimiviridae.
Marseilleviridae: Images of cryo-frozen Marseilleviridae particles (left and center) and enlarged diagram of structure near a vertex. Black arrows indicate Large Dense Bodies. White arrows indicate lipid bilayer.
Images of cryo-frozen Marseilleviridae particles (left and center) and enlarged diagram of structure near a vertex. Black arrows indicate Large Dense Bodies. White arrows indicate lipid bilayer.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marseilleviridae

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Marseilleviridae claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Marseilleviridae before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Marseilleviridae ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Marseilleviridae

In research
Marseilleviridae appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Marseilleviridae in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Marseilleviridae is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Marseilleviridae, Nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses, Virus families, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Marseilleviridae outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Marseilleviridae in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Marseilleviridae means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Marseilleviridae out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Marseilleviridae in simple terms?

Marseilleviridae is a family of viruses first named in 2012. The genomes of these viruses are double-stranded DNA.

Why does Marseilleviridae matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Marseilleviridae?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Marseilleviridae.

Tags

  • Marseilleviridae
  • Nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses
  • Virus families

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