[Phylogenetic analysis of chemokine-binding protein gene from orthopoxviruses]

Poxviruses, belonging to the genus of Orthopoxviruses and Leporipoxviruses, express a protein that binds a wide spectrum of CC-chenokines. The above viral protein (vCCI) has no homology by the amino acid sequence with the known cellular receptors of chemokines or with any other proteins represented in databases. Sixty-nine nucleotide sequences of the vCCI protein gene of 4 Orthopoxviruses, which are pathogenic to man, and of 2 species, to whom man is immune, as well as 16 of such sequences borrowed from GenBank were subjected to the phylogenetic analysis. Strains of Orthopoxviruses, except for cowpox viruses (CPXV), were found to cluster together in groups according to their specific attribute. CPXV isolates can be conditionally divided into 2 subgroups, which are much remote from one another evolutionally. Four subgroups were defined for smallpox virus with their strains originating from different geographic regions.