Life History of the Oldest Lentivirus: Characterization of ELVgv Integrations in the Dermopteran Genome

In this study, we analyzed ELVgv integrations at several genomic locations in four distinct colugo specimens covering all the extant dermopteran species. We confirmed ELVgv integrations in all the specimens examined, which implies that the virus originated before the dermopteran diversification. Using a locus-specific dermopteran substitution rate, we estimated that the proviral integrations occurred 21–40 Ma. Using phylogenetic analysis, we estimated that ELVgv invaded an ancestor of today’s Dermoptera in an even more distant past. We also provide evidence of selective pressure on the TRIM5 antiviral restriction factor, something usually taken as indirect evidence of past retroviral infections. Interestingly, we show that TRIM5 was under strong positive selection pressure only in the common dermopteran ancestor, where the ELVgv endogenization occurred. Further experiments are required to determine whether ELVgv participated in the TRIM5 selection.

Source: Molecular Biology and Evolution - September 15, 2016 Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Hron, T., Farkasova, H., Padhi, A., Paces, J., Elleder, D. Tags: Discoveries Source Type: research