Viruses that infect archaea represent one of the most enigmatic parts of the virosphere. Their high diversity, along with their few structural and genomic similarities with bacterial or eukaryotic viruses, suggest that the mechanisms of virus-host interactions might be also unique. Saccharolobus solfataricus Ovoid Virus (SolOV) and (Sacharolobus spindle shaped virus 1) SSV1 infect hyperthermophilic archaea from the genus Saccharolobus that thrive in terrestrial hot springs with temperatures of ~80°C and pH~2-3. How the viral cycle unravels inside the host and how the virion is assembled remains a mystery. Here we study the SolOV and SSV1 infection cycle and the host factors involved in their replication and release. This work should provide novel insights into the unique infection cycle of SolOV and SSV1 and uncover new aspects of virus-host interactions in archaea.
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