BRANFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A study published online today in the journal Genome Research offers surprising new clues into the genomic complexity of the giant Mimivirus, the largest known virus in the world. Previous studies have shown that unlike most viruses, the Mimivirus has more genes than many bacteria and performs functions that normally occur only in cellular organisms. The results of the most recent study, led by a team from the Structural and Genomic Information Laboratory at the Mediterranean Institute of Microbiology in Marseille, France, suggest that the Mimivirus is even more complex than previously thought. Using the Genome Sequencer FLX System from 454 Life Sciences, a Roche Company (Pink Sheets: RHHBY)(SWX:RO)(SWX:ROG), the researchers performed the first ever viral transcriptome analysis by deep sequencing RNAs expressed by infected amoebas throughout the Mimivirus replication cycle (1). Unexpectedly, the analysis revealed 75 new genes, including 26 producing non-coding RNAs. The existence, and so far unknown function, of these additional genes in the already plethoric Mimivirus genome could radically change the current understanding of the way large viruses operate.
