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10:22
Isolation of Viral Replication Compartment-enriched Sub-nuclear Fractions from Adenovirus-infected Normal Human Cells
Published on: November 12, 2015
Molecular evolution of human adenoviruses
Christopher M Robinson1, Gurdeep Singh, Jeong Yoon Lee
1Department of Ophthalmology, Howe Laboratory, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Scientific Reports
|May 10, 2013
Summary
Scientists sequenced 20 new human adenovirus (HAdV) genomes, revealing that HAdV-D species evolve through homologous recombination in specific DNA regions. This process, driven by DNA instability, allows for rapid adaptation in adenovirus evolution.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Emergence of virulent human adenoviruses (HAdVs) with novel tissue tropisms necessitates understanding their evolutionary origins.
- Previous research has characterized various HAdV species, but gaps remained in understanding HAdV species D evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the ontogeny and evolutionary mechanisms of previously unsequenced HAdV serotypes within HAdV species D.
- To analyze nucleotide sequence variability and identify recombination patterns across all HAdV species.
Main Methods:
- Sequencing and analysis of 20 complete, high-quality genome sequences for unsequenced HAdV serotypes in HAdV species D.
- Comparative analysis of nucleotide sequence variability with 40 other HAdV prototypes from all seven HAdV species.
- Identification and correlation of homologous recombination sites with genomic features like GC/AT-rich motifs.
Main Results:
- Confirmed uniquely hypervariable regions within HAdV species.
- Observed a low mutation rate in HAdV-D compared to other HAdV species.
- Identified homologous recombination in at least two of five examined hypervariable regions for all HAdV-D viruses.
- Correlated alternating GC and AT-rich motifs with hypervariable region recombination sites.
Conclusions:
- Homologous recombination is a primary driver of HAdV-D evolution.
- Specific DNA instability foci lead to predictable recombination patterns.
- These mechanisms confer evolutionary agility to adenoviruses, enabling adaptation to new tropisms.
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