Ancient herpes simplex 1 genomes reveal recent viral structure in Eurasia
Meriam Guellil1, Lucy van Dorp2, Sarah A Inskip3,4
1Estonian Biocentre, Institute of Genomics, University of Tartu, Riia 23B, Tartu 51010, Estonia.
Science Advances
|July 27, 2022
Summary
Human herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infects most adults worldwide. Ancient genomes suggest HSV-1 lineage replacement occurred around the late Neolithic and Bronze Age periods, indicating an older origin than previously thought.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Paleogenomics
- Human Evolution
Background:
- Human herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is a widespread, lifelong infection transmitted orally.
- Previous research suggested HSV-1 codiverged with human migrations out of Africa or had a much younger origin.
- Phylogeographic studies identified distinct European, pan-Eurasian, and African HSV-1 genetic clusters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary history and origin of Human herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) using ancient genomic data.
- To refine the estimated age of extant HSV-1 diversity by incorporating ancient European genomes.
- To explore potential links between HSV-1 evolution and major human migration events.
Main Methods:
- Sequencing of three full and one partial ancient European HSV-1 genomes (3rd to 17th century CE).
- High-throughput sequencing of ancient genomes alongside paired human genomes.
- Phylogenetic analysis of a combined dataset of modern and ancient HSV-1 genomes.
Main Results:
- Ancient European HSV-1 genomes were successfully sequenced and analyzed.
- Phylogenetic analysis estimated the age of modern Eurasian HSV-1 diversity at approximately 4.68 thousand years ago (ka).
- Extrapolation to global data suggests extant HSV-1 originated around 5.29 ka, coinciding with the late Neolithic and Bronze Age.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest an older origin for Human herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) than some previous estimates.
- HSV-1 lineage replacement likely occurred during the late Neolithic and Bronze Age, correlating with significant human population movements.
- Ancient genomics provides crucial insights into the deep evolutionary history of common viral pathogens.
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