Huge bacteriophages: bridging the gap?

Summary Huge bacteriophages display genome sizes that bridge the gap between viral and bacterial genomes. Large Pseudomonas phages elaborate a nucleus‐like structure in the infected bacterial cell and a tubulin‐like phage protein forms a kind of spindle apparatus. While this probably represents cases of convergent evolution, these observations revive the discussion on the origin of eukaryotic cells.