Showing papers by "Chantal Abergel published in 2016"
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01 Oct 2016-Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
TL;DR: To what extent the giant viruses challenge previous definitions of viruses, the diversity of forms they could take, and how they might have evolved from extinct ancestral cellular lineages are examined.
46 citations
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TL;DR: In this article, a protein-based interaction model was proposed to explain the observed phenomena without having to extend the realm of adaptive immunity to the world of eukaryotic viruses, a revolutionary step that would require stronger experimental evidences.
26 citations
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Uppsala University1, Aix-Marseille University2, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory3, European XFEL4, Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives5, University of Melbourne6, National University of Singapore7, Université Paris-Saclay8, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory9, Max Planck Society10, Kansas State University11, University of Siegen12, German National Metrology Institute13, Technical University of Berlin14, University of Hamburg15
TL;DR: The dataset used for the first 3D reconstruction of a biological object from an X-ray FEL, which was the giant Mimivirus, is presented and could boost algorithm development and provide a benchmark dataset for new algorithms.
Abstract: Free-electron lasers (FEL) hold the potential to revolutionize structural biology by producing X-ray pules short enough to outrun radiation damage, thus allowing imaging of biological samples without the limitation from radiation damage. Thus, a major part of the scientific case for the first FELs was three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of non-crystalline biological objects. In a recent publication we demonstrated the first 3D reconstruction of a biological object from an X-ray FEL using this technique. The sample was the giant Mimivirus, which is one of the largest known viruses with a diameter of 450 nm. Here we present the dataset used for this successful reconstruction. Data-analysis methods for single-particle imaging at FELs are undergoing heavy development but data collection relies on very limited time available through a highly competitive proposal process. This dataset provides experimental data to the entire community and could boost algorithm development and provide a benchmark dataset for new algorithms.
18 citations
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TL;DR: It is realized that non-filtering "giant viruses" are not rare, probably ubiquitous, and come in a large variety of virion shapes, genome sizes, gene contents, and replication strategies.
Abstract: Unlike microbes known in his time, the first virus (that of tobacco mosaic disease) was discovered by Ivanoski in 1892 because it was not retained by Chamberland's porcelain candles. For more than a century afterward, viruses were equated with this simple property that is still extensively used today (using modern 0,2 µm pore filters) as a practical criterion to delineate the "viral fraction" from other microbes in medical or environmental samples. The first documented exception to the simplistic criterion of particle size came with the discovery of Mimivirus, the viral nature of which was eventually recognized in 2003, following ten years during which it was mistaken for an obligate intracellular bacterium. Thirteen more years later, we now realize that non-filtering "giant viruses" are not rare, probably ubiquitous, and come in a large variety of virion shapes, genome sizes, gene contents, and replication strategies. Following a quick description of the 4 giant virus families known today, we discuss the enigmas, controversies and perspectives of conceptual revolutions that are brought about by this new and booming area of virology.
4 citations
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TL;DR: La saga des virus geants (c’est-a-dire visibles en microscopie optique) a commence il y a plus d’un millier de proteines differentes participant a son cycle infectieux dans les amibes du Mimivirus.
Abstract: La saga des virus geants (c’est-a-dire visibles en microscopie optique) a commence il y a plus de 10 ans avec la decouverte de Mimivirus. L’analyse de son genome ADN double brin a revele une complexite genomique equivalente a celle de nombreuses bacteries parasites avec plus d’un millier de proteines differentes participant a son cycle infectieux dans les amibes du [...]
3 citations