scholarly journals Endogenization of a Prosimian Retrovirus during Lemur Evolution

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 383
Author(s):  
Kathleen Apakupakul ◽  
Sharon L. Deem ◽  
Rabia Maqsood ◽  
Peeti Sithiyopasakul ◽  
David Wang ◽  
...  

Studies of viruses that coevolved with lemurs provide an opportunity to understand the basal traits of primate viruses and provide an evolutionary context for host-virus interactions. Germline integration of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are fossil evidence of past infections. Hence, characterization of novel ERVs provides insight into the ancient precursors of extant viruses and the evolutionary history of their hosts. Here, we report the discovery of a novel endogenous retrovirus present in the genome of a lemur, Coquerel’s sifaka (Propithecus coquereli). Using next-generation sequencing, we identified and characterized the complete genome sequence of a retrovirus, named prosimian retrovirus 1 (PSRV1). Phylogenetic analyses indicate that PSRV1 is a gamma-type betaretrovirus basal to the other primate betaretroviruses and most closely related to simian retroviruses. Molecular clock analysis of PSRV1 long terminal repeat (LTR) sequences estimated the time of endogenization within 4.56 MYA (±2.4 MYA), placing it after the divergence of Propithecus species. These results indicate that PSRV1 is an important milestone of lemur evolution during the radiation of the Propithecus genus. These findings may have implications for both human and animal health in that the acquisition of a gamma-type env gene within an endogenized betaretrovirus could facilitate a cross-species jump between vertebrate class hosts.

2012 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 1023-1034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rashmi Chowdhary ◽  
Craig Street ◽  
Amelia Travassos da Rosa ◽  
Marcio R. T. Nunes ◽  
Kok Keng Tee ◽  
...  

Phylogenetic analyses can give new insights into the evolutionary history of viruses, especially of viruses with segmented genomes. However, sequence information for many viral families or genera is still limited and phylogenies based on single or short genome fragments can be misleading. We report the first genetic analysis of all three genome segments of Wyeomyia group viruses Wyeomyia, Taiassui, Macaua, Sororoca, Anhembi and Cachoeira Porteira (BeAr328208) in the genus Orthobunyavirus of the family Bunyaviridae. In addition, Tucunduba and Iaco viruses were identified as members of the Wyeomyia group. Features of Wyeomyia group members that distinguish them from other viruses in the Bunyamwera serogroup and from other orthobunyaviruses, including truncated NSs sequences that may not counteract the host’s interferon response, were characterized. Our findings also suggest genome reassortment within the Wyeomyia group, identifying Macaua and Tucunduba viruses as M-segment reassortants that, in the case of Tucunduba virus, may have altered pathogenicity, stressing the need for whole-genome sequence information to facilitate characterization of orthobunyaviruses and their phylogenetic relationships.


2003 ◽  
Vol 77 (20) ◽  
pp. 11268-11273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolai Klymiuk ◽  
Mathias Müller ◽  
Gottfried Brem ◽  
Bernhard Aigner

ABSTRACT Endogenous retrovirus (ERV) sequences have been found in all mammals. In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed ERV activation and cross-species infection in several species. Sheep (Ovis aries) are used for various biotechnological purposes; however, they have not yet been comprehensively screened for ERV sequences. Therefore, the aim of the study was to classify the ERV sequences in the ovine genome (OERV) by analyzing the retroviral pro-pol sequences. Three OERV β families and nine OERV γ families were revealed. Novel open reading frames (ORF) in the amplified proviral fragment were found in one OERV β family and two OERV γ families. Hybrid OERV produced by putative recombination events were not detected. Quantitative analysis of the OERV sequences in the ovine genome revealed no relevant variations in the endogenous retroviral loads of different breeds. Expression analysis of different tissues from fetal and pregnant sheep detected mRNA from both gammaretrovirus families, showing ORF fragments. Thus, the release of retroviruses from sheep cells cannot be excluded.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pakorn Aiewsakun

Abstract This study reports and characterises two novel distinct lineages of foamy viruses (FVs) in the forms of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). Several closely related elements were found in the genome of oriental stork (Ciconia boyciana) and other was found in the genome of spine-bellied sea snake (Hydrophis hardwickii), designated ERV-Spuma.N-Cbo (where 'N' runs from one to thirteen) and ERV-Spuma.1-Hha, respectively. This discovery of avian and serpentine endogenous FVs adds snakes, and perhaps more crucially, birds to the list of currently known hosts of FVs, in addition to mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. This indicates that FVs are, or at least were, capable of infecting all major lineages of vertebrates. Moreover, together with other FVs, phylogenetic analyses showed that both of them are most closely related to mammalian FVs. Further examination revealed that reptilian FVs form a deep paraphyletic group that is basal to mammalian and avian FVs, suggesting that there were multiple ancient FV cross-class transmissions among their hosts. Evolutionary timescales of various FV lineages were estimated in this study, in particular, the timescales of reptilian FVs and that of the clade of mammalian, avian, and serpentine FVs. This was accomplished by using the recently established time-dependent rate phenomenon models, inferred using mainly the knowledge of the co-speciation history between FVs and mammals. It was found that the estimated timescales matched very well with those of reptiles. Combined with the observed phylogenetic patterns, these results suggested that FVs likely co-speciated with ancient reptilian animals, but later jumped to a protomammal and/or a bird, which ultimately gave rise to mammalian and avian FVs. These results contribute to our understanding of FV emergence, specifically the emergence of mammalian and avian FVs, and provide new insights into how FVs co-evolved with their non-mammalian vertebrate hosts in the distant past.


2001 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 2765-2770 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Ericsson ◽  
Beth Oldmixon ◽  
Jonas Blomberg ◽  
Margaret Rosa ◽  
Clive Patience ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT PCR amplification of genomic DNA from miniature swine peripheral blood lymphocytes, using primers corresponding to highly conserved regions of the polymerase (pol) gene, allowed the identification of two novel porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) sequences, PMSN-1 and PMSN-4. Phylogenetic analyses of the nucleotide sequences of PMSN-1 and PMSN-4 revealed them to be most closely related to betaretroviruses. The identification of PERVs belonging to theBetaretrovirus genus shows that endogenous retroviruses of this family are more broadly represented in mammalian species than previously appreciated. Both sequences contained inactivating mutations, implying that these particular loci are defective. However, Southern blot analysis showed additional copies of closely related proviruses in the miniature swine genome. Analyses of fetal and adult miniature swine tissues revealed a broad mRNA expression pattern of both PMSN-1 and PMSN-4. The most abundant expression was detected in whole bone marrow c-kit +(CD117+) progenitor bone marrow cells, fetal liver, salivary gland, and thymus. It appears unlikely that functional loci encoding these novel PERV sequences exist, but this remains to be established. The betaretrovirus sequences described in this report will allow such investigations to be actively pursued.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (5) ◽  
pp. 2941-2949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline Flockerzi ◽  
Stefan Burkhardt ◽  
Werner Schempp ◽  
Eckart Meese ◽  
Jens Mayer

ABSTRACT The human genome harbors many distinct families of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) that stem from exogenous retroviruses that infected the germ line millions of years ago. Many HERV families remain to be investigated. We report in the present study the detailed characterization of the HERV-K14I and HERV-K14CI families as they are represented in the human genome. Most of the 68 HERV-K14I and 23 HERV-K14CI proviruses are severely mutated, frequently displaying uniform deletions of retroviral genes and long terminal repeats (LTRs). Both HERV families entered the germ line ∼39 million years ago, as evidenced by homologous sequences in hominoids and Old World primates and calculation of evolutionary ages based on a molecular clock. Proviruses of both families were formed during a brief period. A majority of HERV-K14CI proviruses on the Y chromosome mimic a higher evolutionary age, showing that LTR-LTR divergence data can indicate false ages. Fully translatable consensus sequences encoding major retroviral proteins were generated. Most HERV-K14I loci lack an env gene and are structurally reminiscent of LTR retrotransposons. A minority of HERV-K14I variants display an env gene. HERV-K14I proviruses are associated with three distinct LTR families, while HERV-K14CI is associated with a single LTR family. Hybrid proviruses consisting of HERV-K14I and HERV-W sequences that appear to have produced provirus progeny in the genome were detected. Several HERV-K14I proviruses harbor TRPC6 mRNA portions, exemplifying mobilization of cellular transcripts by HERVs. Our analysis contributes essential information on two more HERV families and on the biology of HERV sequences in general.


2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 1150-1166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne L. Rose ◽  
James M. Fulton ◽  
Christopher M. Brown ◽  
Frank Natale ◽  
Benjamin A. S. Van Mooy ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 578-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruo-Lin Cheng ◽  
Xiao-Feng Li ◽  
Chuan-Xi Zhang

Abstract Endogenous viral elements (EVEs), derived from all major types of viruses, have been discovered in many eukaryotic genomes, representing “fossil records” of past viral infections. The endogenization of nudiviruses has been reported in several insects, leading to the question of whether genomic integration is a common phenomenon for these viruses. In this study, genomic assemblies of insects and other arthropods were analyzed to identify endogenous sequences related to Nudiviridae. A total of 359 nudivirus-like genes were identified in 43 species belonging to different groups; however, none of these genes were detected in the known hosts of nudiviruses. A large proportion of the putative EVEs identified in this study encode intact open reading frames or are transcribed as mRNAs, suggesting that they result from recent endogenization of nudiviruses. Phylogenetic analyses of the identified EVEs and inspections of their flanking regions indicated that integration of nudiviruses has occurred recurrently during the evolution of arthropods. This is the first report of a comprehensive screening for nudivirus-derived EVEs in arthropod genomes. The results of this study demonstrated that a large variety of arthropods, especially hemipteran and hymenopteran insects, have previously been or are still infected by nudiviruses. These findings have greatly extended the host range of Nudiviridae and provide new insights into viral diversity, evolution, and host–virus interactions.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (15) ◽  
pp. 7607-7615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon B. Huder ◽  
Jürg Böni ◽  
Jean-Michel Hatt ◽  
Guido Soldati ◽  
Hans Lutz ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Boid inclusion body disease (BIBD) is a fatal disorder of boid snakes that is suspected to be caused by a retrovirus. In order to identify this agent, leukocyte cultures (established from Python molurus specimens with symptoms of BIBD or kept together with such diseased animals) were assessed for reverse transcriptase (RT) activity. Virus from cultures exhibiting high RT activity was banded on sucrose density gradients, and the RT peak fraction was subjected to highly efficient procedures for the identification of unknown particle-associated retroviral RNA. A 7-kb full retroviral sequence was identified, cloned, and sequenced. This virus contained intact open reading frames (ORFs) for gag, pro, pol, and env, as well as another ORF of unknown function within pol. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the virus is distantly related to viruses from both the B and D types and the mammalian C type but cannot be classified. It is present as a highly expressed endogenous retrovirus in all P. molurus individuals; a closely related, but much less expressed virus was found in all tested Python curtus individuals. All other boid snakes tested, including Python regius, Python reticulatus, Boa constrictor, Eunectes notaeus, and Morelia spilota, were virus negative, independent of whether they had BIBD or not. Virus isolated from P. molurus could not be transmitted to the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of B. constrictor or P. regius. Thus, there is no indication that this novel virus, which we propose to name python endogenous retrovirus (PyERV), is causally linked with BIBD.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (20) ◽  
pp. 10258-10261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Preuss ◽  
Nicole Fischer ◽  
Klaus Boller ◽  
Ralf R. Tönjes

ABSTRACT Xenotransplantation of pig organs is complicated by the existence of polytropic replication-competent porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERV) capable of infecting human cells. The potential for recombination between ecotropic PERV-C and human-tropic PERV-A and PERV-B adds another level of infectious risk. Proviral PERV-C were characterized in MAX-T cells derived from d/d haplotype miniature swine. Three proviruses were cloned from a genomic library. Clone PERV-C(1312) generated infectious particles after transfection into porcine ST-IOWA cells. Electron microscopy revealed the same morphologies of virions in MAX-T cells and in ST-IOWA cells infected with cell-free PERV-C(1312) particles, indicating that MAX-T cells harbor one functional PERV-C provirus.


2002 ◽  
Vol 83 (9) ◽  
pp. 2231-2240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birke Bartosch ◽  
Robin A. Weiss ◽  
Yasuhiro Takeuchi

Two pig endogenous retroviruses (PERV), PERV-A and -B, productively infect human cells and are therefore considered to constitute a potential risk in pig-to-human xenotransplantation. A PCR-based cloning technique to isolate infectious PERV proviruses was established. Overlapping 3′ half and 5′ halves of PERV proviral genomes were amplified using DNA extracted from human 293 cells infected with PERV-A or -B. These clones were fused at a unique restriction site in the overlapping region and tested for their infectivity. Representative constructs possessed the same infectious properties as their parent isolates. We also developed a polyclonal anti-PERV serum by using recombinant PERV capsid protein derived from one of the infectious constructs as immunogen and established an immunocytological method for detection and titration of PERV infection. This detection method proved to be more sensitive than the current method of choice (transfer of MLV-lacZ vectors) for infectivity assessment of PERV. These findings should be considered for future characterization of PERV isolates.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document