Metagenomics is currently the primary means for identifying new viruses. One of the most
impactful metagenomic discoveries is that of crAssphage, the most abundant human …

Biological replicators, from genes within a genome to whole organisms, are locked in
conflicts. Comparative genomics has revealed a staggering diversity of molecular …

Metagenomic sequence analysis is rapidly becoming the primary source of virus discovery,–
. A substantial majority of the currently available virus genomes come from metagenomics …

Cyclic di-and linear oligo-nucleotide signals activate defenses against invasive nucleic
acids in animal immunity; however, their evolutionary antecedents are poorly understood …

Jumbo phages have attracted much attention by virtue of their extraordinary genome size
and unusual aspects of biology. By performing a comparative genomics analysis of 224 …

Transcription factors (TFs) have a central role in genome regulation directing gene
transcription through binding specific DNA sequences. Eukaryotic genomes encode a large …

Origin of DNA replication is an enigma because the replicative DNA polymerases (DNAPs)
are not homologous among the three domains of life, Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. The …

Prokaryotic viruses with DNA genome longer than 200 kb are collectively referred to as
“jumbo phages”. Some representatives of this phylogenetically diverse group encode two …

RNA polymerase II-like enzymes carry out transcription of genomes in Eukaryota, Archaea,
and some viruses. They also exhibit fundamental similarity to RNA polymerases from …

Enzymatic effectors targeting nucleic acids, proteins and other cellular components are the
mainstay of conflicts across life forms. Using comparative genomics we identify a large class …