Rise of the viral giants: common themes underlying genome gigantism in eukaryotic viruses and bacteriophages

Recent research has shown that the biosphere harbors an immense diversity of large and complex DNA viruses that infect a wide range of hosts. This is best exemplified by giant viruses of eukaryotes (phylum Nucleocytoviricota) and large phages, also referred to as jumbo phages, that infect bacteria (class Caudoviricetes). Both groups independently evolved large genomes and complex infection strategies, and recent research reveals striking convergences between these viral groups despite their dist