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Effects of recombination on densovirus phylogeny
Elena U Martynova1, Coby Schal2, Dmitry V Mukha3
1Vavilov Institute of General Genetics Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119991, Russia.
Archives of Virology
|October 18, 2015
Summary
Recombination events were identified in densoviruses, impacting evolutionary analyses. This study highlights the need to consider recombination when inferring phylogenetic relationships for these arthropod-infecting viruses.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Evolution
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Densoviruses, part of the Parvoviridae family, infect arthropods and possess single-stranded DNA genomes.
- Previous research focused on recombination in vertebrate parvoviruses, leaving densoviruses understudied.
- Understanding recombination is crucial for accurate phylogenetic analysis of densoviruses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate recombination events in the evolutionary history of densoviruses.
- To assess the impact of recombination on phylogenetic trees derived from protein sequences.
- To analyze recombination in specific genera of densoviruses.
Main Methods:
- Phylogenetic analysis using complete genome sequences of 40 densoviruses.
- Construction of a phylogenetic cladogram based on sequence data.
- Identification of recombination events using RDP4 software.
Main Results:
- Densoviruses clustered into five distinct groups, aligning with established genera.
- Three statistically significant recombination events were detected.
- Two recombination events occurred in the Ambidensovirus genus, and one in the Iteradensovirus genus.
- Recombination caused discrepancies between phylogenetic trees based on different genomic regions (NS1, NS3, VP proteins).
Conclusions:
- Recombination has occurred within densoviruses, particularly in Ambidensovirus and Iteradensovirus genera.
- Recombination events can lead to conflicting phylogenetic signals when analyzing different viral protein sequences.
- Future phylogenetic studies of densoviruses must account for potential recombination events.
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