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Updated: Jul 3, 2026
11:19
Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses
Published on: May 4, 2015
Detecting recombination and diversifying selection in human alpha-papillomavirus.
1Dpto. de Bioquímica, Genética e Inmunología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain. acraaj@uvigo.es
Summary
Positive selection drives human papillomavirus (HPV) evolution. This study found evidence of positive selection within HPV type 16 and across different HPV types, impacting viral adaptation.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Human papillomaviruses (HPV) exhibit high divergence rates, complicating evolutionary studies.
- Intragenic recombination and selection analyses are crucial for understanding viral evolution.
- Positive selection in HPV has been understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate intragenic recombination and positive selection in human alpha-papillomavirus DNA sequences.
- To identify specific codons and evolutionary stages influenced by positive selection.
- To assess the role of positive selection in HPV evolution at both inter- and intra-type levels.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic and epidemiological grouping of HPV DNA sequences.
- Application of multiple alignment methods for recombination breakpoint analysis.
- Utilized maximum likelihood, empirical Bayesian, and maximum parsimony methods to detect positive selection.
Main Results:
- Significant positive selection was detected within HPV type 16, particularly during the divergence of African branches.
- Positive selection was identified in specific codons of the L2 gene across high- and low-risk HPV groups.
- Evidence suggests recombination breakpoints were influenced by phylogenetic and epidemiological factors.
Conclusions:
- Positive selection plays a significant role in the evolutionary dynamics of human papillomaviruses.
- Selection pressures contribute to the diversification of HPV at both intra- and inter-type levels.
- Understanding these evolutionary mechanisms is key to managing HPV infections.
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