Formal Recognition and Classification of Gene Transfer Agents as Viriforms

Morphological and genetic features strongly suggest that gene transfer agents (GTAs) are caudoviricete-derived entities that have evolved in concert with cellular genomes to such a degree that they should not be considered viruses. Indeed, GTA particles resemble caudoviricete virions but, in contrast to caudoviricetes (or any viruses), GTAs can encapsidate at best only part of their own genomes, are induced solely in small subpopulations of prokaryotic host cells and are transmitted vertically as part of cellular genomes during replication and division. Therefore, the lifecycles of GTAs are analogous to virus-derived entities found in parasitoid wasps, which have recently been recognized as non-virus entities and therefore reclassified as viriforms. We evaluated three distinct, independently exapted GTA groups for which the genetic basis for GTA particle production has been established. Based on the evidence, we outline a classification scheme for these viriforms.