In what may be the greatest biological weapons heist of all time , scientist have discovered a computer virus that slip DNA fromblack widow spidersin order to help it attack its victims .
The computer virus , known as WO , is abacteriophage , meaning it only infects bacterium and ca n’t get into theeukaryotic cellsof more complex organisms . eucaryote are mobile phone that check a nucleus and other membrane - tie organelles .
Though it is not uncommon for viruses to contain some of their host ’s cistron into their own DNA , it had been assumed that bacteriophage could only take DNA from bacteria , which is why the discovery of the factor for bootleg widow venom in the WO genome is so puzzling .
Seth Bordenstein , who co - authored a newspaper about the uncovering with his wife Sarah , toldLive Sciencethat “ this is the first prison term , to the best of my noesis , that animal genes were found in bacteriophages . ”
WO infects a type of bacteria called Wolbachia , which lives inside the cell of black widows and many other arthropods . As such , the virus needs to be capable to penetrate the membranes of these bacterium as well as the cadre of the animals that host them . It also needs to avoid being detected and destroyed by the immune system of these arthropod .
account their discovery in the journalNature Communications , the Bordensteins explain that they are n’t solely certain how the black-market widow woman genes ended up in the virus , but they suspect it helps WO to dodge the spider ’s rude defenses while also increase its deadliness to bacteria .
When sequencing the WO genome , they discovered one of the largest compounding genes ever see in a computer virus , which was made up of single cistron from eukaryotes and bacteria string together . Among these was a chronological succession of DNA that tantalise for the black widow venomlatrotoxin , as well as other genes that are known to actuate cell death and some that are involved in immune nonpayment .
Because latrotoxin works by deflate electric cell membrane , the researchers suggest that this may enable WO to enter the cells of its bacterial hosts while also breaking into those of larger fauna in ordination to get at these bacteria .
Overall , this “ borrow ” DNA account for about one-half of the WO genome , suggesting that this sneaky virus is a master key at hijacking the weapon of others .
