Viruses as prey?

[brett]

>This sounds more like some sort of commensal relationship rather than
>predator-prey.  Interesting concept though.  I wonder what benefit the
>helper virus gets out of the relationship?
>
>brunstei at UNIXG.UBC.CA (John Brunstein) wrote:
>>
>> The post refers to 'satellite' viruses...ones which need both a host 
>> cell, and another virus, to replicate.  Common in plant viruses, not so 
>> common in mammalian systems although AAV as mentioned is a good and 
>> common example.
>> 
>> On 31 Aug 1995, EdRegis wrote:
>> 
>> > Ian York writes:
>> > 
>> > >I must have missed it, because I'm sure that someone in this
>> > >viruses-as-prey thread must have already pointed at hepatitis 
>> > >delta virus, adeno-associated virus, and some of the plant viroids.  
>> > >If not, then I just have.
>> > 
>> > No one's pointed this out till just now.  Can you expand on this somewhat?
>> >  This is still a notch too cryptic for me to figure out.  Which is prey
>> > for what, and V.V.? 
>> > 
>> > Ed
>> > 
>> > 

What about defective interfering (DI) particles? These suckers are parasitizing
thier own (actuallty, parental) genome! Interestingly, these have been suggested
by Huang & Baltimore in 1970s to play a role in viral persistence (ie
propagation of the parental genome POPULATION), so one could make the case
that
this is more of a convoluted commensalism. Thoughts?



Brett Lindenbach
    
Program in Immunology                              
Washington University - St Louis                  
brett at borcim.wustl.edu                             

"I own my own pet virus. I get to pet and name her." - Cobain