The origins of viruses are shrouded in mystery, but advances in genomics and the discovery of highly complex giant DNA viruses have stimulated new hypotheses that DNA viruses were involved in the emergence of the eukaryotic cell nucleus, and that they are worthy of being considered as living organisms.
Structural and Genomic Information Laboratory, CNRS-UPR2589, IBSM, Parc Scientifique de Luminy, 163 Avenue de Luminy, case 934, Marseille 13288, cedex 9, France. Jean-Michel.Claverie@igs.cnrs-mrs.fr
