During the Arctic Floating University's expedition, scientists have collected unique samples from islands in the Arctic Ocean and have already achieved initial results in the lab. These giant viruses are 30 times larger than ordinary ones. In comparison, the virion size of SARS-CoV-2 which caused the COVID-19 pandemic ranges from 50 to 200 nanometres, while a giant virus found in Yakutia's permafrost measures 1,500 nanometres in length—visible with a standard light microscope.
This is not the only distinction. Giant viruses have extremely complex genomes, containing almost no genes found in other viral groups. The study of these newly discovered giant viruses is one of the hottest topics in global microbiology today.
In 2024, researchers from the Arctic Floating University, for the first time in Russian and global science, searched for giant viruses in the High Arctic, specifically on the islands of the Arctic Ocean—such as the Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya archipelagos.
In July, the Arctic Century featured news dedicated to the beginning of the Arctic hunt for giant viruses. Now we see the first results of the discoveries made by the expedition.
"This research area could be revolutionary for biology," said Dr. Artemy Goncharov, a professor and head of the Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics of Microorganisms at the Institute of Experimental Medicine and a professor at the Department of Epidemiology at Mechnikov Northwestern State Medical University. "We believe that Arctic ecosystems may host unique representatives of this group of viruses."
Giant viruses have previously been discovered in fossilised animals preserved in Yakutia's permafrost, some over 30,000 years old. However, their origins and evolution remain unclear, as do the potential threats they could pose to humans. They are currently subject to intensive research.
During the Arctic Floating University expedition this summer aboard the research vessel Professor Molchanov, Dr. Goncharov, alongside young colleague Ivan Gorokhov from the metagenomics research group at the Pasteur Institute, collected unique samples from remote Arctic islands. These included soil, permafrost, seawater, lake water, and various traces of polar animals activity. Such studies have never before been conducted on Russian Arctic archipelagos.
The principle of floating universities is "learning through research": young scientists participate in real projects under the guidance of experienced mentors. For Ivan Gorokhov, this was his first trip to the Arctic, and he may become part of a significant discovery. Samples are analyzed post-expedition in laboratories in St. Petersburg, where microbiologists are currently working. From these samples, total DNA is extracted, sequenced, and the viral genome is isolated, if present.
"In the soil metagenomes from bird colonies on Franz Josef Land, DNA sequences of these viruses have been detected," Dr. Goncharov shared, revealing early findings.
Source: Наука.РФ
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