Giant Virus Enrichment
Giant Virus Enrichment - Related Videos
03:25
Amoeba-Based Enrichment of Giant Viruses from an Environmental Water Sample
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2026
Source: Bou Khalil, J. Y.,et al. A Rapid Strategy for the Isolation of New Faustoviruses from Environmental Samples Using Vermamoeba vermiformis. J. Vis. Exp. (2016)This video demonstrates the enrichment of giant viruses from an environmental water sample using amoeba-based co-culture to enable downstream detection and analysis.
04:12
Isolation of a Single Giant Virus from a Mixed Viral Population Using Amoebae
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2026
Source: Sahmi-Bounsiar, D. et al. Single Cell Micro-aspiration as an Alternative Strategy to Fluorescence-activated Cell Sorting for Giant Virus Mixture Separation. J. Vis. Exp. (2019)This video demonstrates single-cell micro-aspiration to isolate and expand a single giant virus population from a mixed viral population using amoebae as host cells.
03:39
Preparation of Virus-Enriched Suspension Using Stepwise Sucrose Centrifugation
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2026
Source: Vijayraghavan, S. and Kantor, B. A Protocol for the Production of Integrase-deficient Lentiviral Vectors for CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Gene Knockout in Dividing Cells. J. Vis. Exp., (2017)This video demonstrates a two-step ultracentrifugation method using sucrose gradients and cushions to purify and concentrate viral particles from cell culture supernatant. The procedure enables separation based on buoyant density, allowing recovery of intact virus suitable for downstream applications.
09:50
Single Cell Micro-aspiration as an Alternative Strategy to Fluorescence-activated Cell Sorting for Giant Virus Mixture Separation
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Cited by 5 •
2019
Here, we describe a single cell micro-aspiration method for the separation of infected amoebae. In order to separate viral subpopulations in Vermamoeba vermiformis infected by Faustoviruses and unknown giant viruses, we developed the protocol detailed below and demonstrated its ability to separate two low-abundance novel giant viruses.
12:53
Electrophysiological Recordings from the Giant Fiber Pathway of D. melanogaster
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Cited by 17 •
2011
The Giant Fiber System is a simple neuronal circuit of adult Drosophila melanogaster containing the largest neurons in the fly. We describe the protocol for monitoring synaptic transmission through this pathway by recording post synaptic potentials in dorsal longitudinal (DLM) and tergotrochanteral (TTM) muscles following direct stimulation of the Giant Fiber interneurons.
FAQs
The method depends on exposing a susceptible host culture to the environmental sample. When a giant virus can infect the available host, it replicates within host cells rather than remaining only as a low-abundance component of the original mixture. Free-living amoebae are often used for this purpose, linking enrichment directly to host susceptibility and viral replication.
Host-cell lysis releases newly produced virus particles into the surrounding sample. This increases the abundance of giant viruses after replication and creates material that can be collected for further purification. The release step therefore connects intracellular infection with later detection and analysis, including microscopy, genome sequencing, and structural studies.
Because enrichment relies on infection of a susceptible host, successful growth provides information about which host cultures support a virus from the environmental sample. Comparing enrichment outcomes across biological samples or host conditions can therefore support studies of host range. The resulting viral material also helps investigate the diversity and distribution of giant viruses in microbial communities.
A typical workflow begins by combining an environmental sample with a susceptible host culture, often free-living amoebae. The mixture is maintained under conditions that permit viral replication, after which infected cells lyse and release new particles. Researchers then collect the enriched material and apply further purification before microscopy, sequencing, or other analyses.
The essential materials are an environmental sample containing potential giant viruses and a host culture capable of supporting infection. The culture must be maintained under conditions that allow viral replication. Although the exact setup can vary, the biological outcome depends on preserving host viability long enough for infection, replication, and subsequent cell lysis to occur.
Enriched samples provide more material for examining giant-virus particles and their genomes. Researchers can use them in microscopy, genome sequencing, structural analysis, and investigations of replication or host range. In biology, these results help characterize how giant viruses are distributed, how they evolve, and what functional significance they may have within microbial communities.