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Measurement of BK-polyomavirus Non-Coding Control Region Driven Transcriptional Activity Via Flow Cytometry
Published on: July 13, 2019
An Asian origin for subtype IV BK virus based on phylogenetic analysis
Yuriko Nishimoto1, Huai-Ying Zheng, Shan Zhong
1The Institute of Statistical Mathematics, Research Organization of Information and Systems, 4-6-7 Minami-Azabu, Tokyo 106-8569, Japan.
Journal of Molecular Evolution
|June 27, 2007
Summary
BK virus (BKV) subtype IV, prevalent in East Asia and Europe, shows a geographic distribution inconsistent with human co-evolution. Phylogenetic analysis suggests subtype IV originated in ancestral Asians, challenging previous hypotheses.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Human evolutionary genetics
Background:
- BK virus (BKV) belongs to the Polyomaviridae family and is believed to co-evolve with humans.
- BKV exhibits four subtypes, with subtypes I and IV being the most common globally.
- Subtype IV is prevalent in East Asia and Europe but scarce in Africa, creating a geographic anomaly.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the origin of BK virus (BKV) subtype IV.
- To reconcile the geographic distribution of BKV subtype IV with the co-evolution hypothesis.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic analysis of 53 complete subtype IV BKV sequences.
- Utilized maximum-likelihood and neighbor-joining methods for sequence analysis.
Main Results:
- Identified six distinct subgroups within BKV subtype IV: a1, a2, b1, b2, c1, and c2.
- Demonstrated a strong correlation between BKV subtype IV subgroups and geographic populations.
- Subgroups a1, a2, b1, b2, and c1 were predominantly found in East Asian populations, while subgroup c2 was present in both Europe and Northeast Asia.
Conclusions:
- BK virus (BKV) subtype IV in modern humans likely originated from a virus that infected ancestral Asians.
- The findings necessitate new hypotheses to explain the transmission dynamics of BKV subtype IV from ancestral Asians.
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