DarmstadtA virus that infects algae carries a potassium channel gene.
Tandem potassium channels steady nerve-cell excitability in humans, yet no bacterial precursor has been found.
Experiments showed the gene encodes a working channel, and its evolutionary relationships suggest viral origin rather than theft from the host.
The same virus already yielded a light-controlled ion channel used in optogenetics.
How each outlet framed it
- Phys.org
- frames the find as evidence giant viruses may have shaped complex protein evolution, noting tandem K+ channel precursors are absent from bacteria
Sources: Phys.org