The Academic Unit of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
Results Probl Cell Differ. 2020;69:3-24. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-51849-3_1.
Advances in understanding over the last decade or so highlight the need for a reappraisal of the role of viruses in relation to the origins and evolution of cellular life, as well as in the homeostasis of the biosphere on which all of life depends. The relevant advances have, in particular, revealed an important contribution of viruses to the evolution of the placental mammals, while also contributing key roles to mammalian embryogenesis, genomic evolution, and physiology. Part of this reappraisal will include the origins of viruses, a redefinition of their quintessential nature, and a suggestion as to how we might view viruses in relation to the tree of life.
在过去十年左右的时间里,人们对病毒的认识不断深入,这凸显了重新评估病毒在细胞生命起源和进化以及所有生命赖以生存的生物圈的动态平衡中的作用的必要性。这些相关进展特别揭示了病毒对胎盘哺乳动物进化的重要贡献,同时也为哺乳动物胚胎发生、基因组进化和生理学提供了关键作用。这种重新评估的一部分将包括病毒的起源,对其本质的重新定义,以及关于我们如何看待病毒与生命之树的关系的建议。