Rhadinovirus

See text Rhadinovirus (synonyms: Rhadinoviridae and gamma-2 herpesviruses) is a genus of viruses in the order Herpesvirales, in the family Herpesviridae, in the subfamily Gammaherpesvirinae.

The term rhadino comes from the Latin fragile, referring to the tendency of the viral genome to break apart when it is isolated.

Viruses in Rhadinovirus are enveloped, with icosahedral, spherical to pleomorphic, and round geometries, and T=16 symmetry.

[1] They are large double-stranded viruses that possess up to 100 genes in a single long chromosome, which is flanked by repetitive DNA sequences called terminal repeats.

[1] Rhadinoviruses are unique because they have mastered the ability to pirate cellular genes from their host cells and incorporate them into their genomes.