Expanding the size limit of RNA viruses: Evidence of a novel divergent nidovirus in California sea hare, with a ~35.9 kb virus genome

Humberto J Debat

These neurons are of massive size and present differential pigmentation, which has been useful for specific individual identification. Targeted studies with individual neurons of A. californica had led to the understanding of specific contributions of concerted neurons to simple and complex behaviors in which they are involved. Hallmarks of behavior neurochemistry have been elucidated in this gastropod such as the classic siphon-withdrawal reflex documented by Eric Kandel's fundamental early works, demonstrating for the first time that environmental cues may generate structural effects on the nervous system (Carew et al., 1972; Kandel, 1976) . Here, I present the genomic characterization of the first virus to be associated with A. californica, a tentative novel member of order Nidovirales, with the largest ever-recorded RNA virus genome.