与细菌病毒（噬菌体）和真核生物病毒相比，古菌病毒的研究开展较晚，已报道的种类也较少，但已知古菌病毒所展现的令人惊叹的形态和基因组多样性已经使其成为病毒圈中最为奇特的类群。目前，对于古菌病毒感染循环中关键步骤的分子细节所知不多。本项目拟以本实验室近期分离的、感染极端嗜热古菌—硫化叶菌的纺锤形病毒SSV_PH为对象，采用基于病毒全基因组PCR扩增/电转化的遗传学方法、生物化学方法、电镜分析等手段，解析该病毒感染过程关键环节（包括宿主细胞的识别与进入、病毒基因组整合与复制之间的关联、参与病毒复制、转录等过程的宿主蛋白的募集等）的分子机制。本项目的实施不仅有助于理解硫化叶菌纺锤形病毒以及古菌病毒与宿主之间的相互作用，还有助于揭示古菌病毒乃至生命的演化规律。

Research on archaeal viruses started later than that on bacterial viruses (or bacteriophages) and eukaryotic viruses. Fewer archaeal viruses have been described so far than bacterial or eukaryotic viruses. However, archaeal viruses represent the most extraordinary group of viruses in the virosphere because of the enormous morphological and genomic diversity demonstrated by known archaeal viruses. Limited knowledge is currently available about the molecular basis of key steps in the infection cycle of an archaeal virus. This project entails the analysis of molecular mechanisms underlying key steps in the infection cycle (including host recognition and virus entry, recruitment of host proteins for viral replication and transcription, viral integration and replication) of SSV_PH, a spindle-shaped virus infecting a hyperthermophilic archaeon of the genus Sulfolobus, by employing genetic approaches based on the whole viral genome PCR and electroporation as well as biochemical and electron microscopic methods. The execution of the project will help not only understand viral-host interactions of Sulfolobus spindle-shaped viruses as well as archaeal viruses, but also provide clues into evolution of archaeal viruses and life in general.