Lipothrixviridae

Lipothrixviridae is a family of viruses in the order Ligamenvirales. Thermophilic archaea in the kingdom Crenarchaeota serve as natural hosts. There are currently eight species in this family, divided among 3 genera. Group: dsDNA The family consists of three genera: Betalipothrixvirus, Gammalipothrixvirus and Deltalipothrixvirus. They are classified into genera based on their genomic properties and on the diversity of their terminal appendages, which are involved in host cell recognition. Former genus Alphalipothrixvirus has been renamed Alphatristromavirus and moved to family Tristromaviridae. In the genus Gammalipothrixvirus claw-like structures are found at either end of the virion. Members of the Lipothrixviridae share structural and genomic characteristics with viruses from the Rudiviridae family, which contains non-enveloped rod-shaped viruses. Viruses from the two families have linear dsDNA genomes and share up to nine genes. In addition, the filamentous particles of rudiviruses and lipothrixviruses are built from structurally similar, homologous major capsid proteins. Due to these shared properties viruses from the two families are classified into an order Ligamenvirales.