# An archaeal virus capable of hydrolyzing the surface glycan of the host cell

## TL;DR

This paper describes an archaeal virus that can break down a specific sugar chain on the host cell's surface, offering new insights into how these viruses infect their hosts.

## Contribution

The study identifies a novel archaeal virus capable of hydrolyzing a specific host cell surface glycan.

## Key findings

- SSV19 can hydrolyze the heptasaccharide chain QuiS1Hex4HexNAc2 on the host cell surface.
- The findings reveal a molecular strategy for host recognition and potential entry by an archaeal virus.

## Abstract

Spindle‐shaped viruses exclusively infect archaea. Fuselloviruses represent a large group of spindle‐shaped viruses and infect hyperthermophilic archaea of the order Sulfolobales. Although the first fusellovirus was identified nearly 40 years ago, the mechanism of host infection by these viruses remains poorly understood. Here, we show that SSV19, a fusellovirus isolated from a hot spring in the Philippines, is capable of hydrolyzing the host cell surface glycan identified as a heptasaccharide chain of QuiS1Hex4HexNAc2. Our findings provide significant insights into the molecular strategy of host recognition and, possibly, entry by an archaeal virus.