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Updated: Jul 12, 2025
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Vaccinia Virus Infection & Temporal Analysis of Virus Gene Expression: Part 1
Published on: April 8, 2009
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Genomic characterization and molecular evolution of human monkeypox viruses.
Patrícia Aline Gröhs Ferrareze1, Rute Alves Pereira E Costa2, Claudia Elizabeth Thompson3
1Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Archives of Virology
|October 21, 2023
Summary
Monkeypox virus (hMpxV) genomes reveal distinct evolutionary paths and adaptive changes. This study analyzes hMpxV molecular evolution, highlighting host-pathogen interactions and immune system adaptations.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Genomics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Monkeypox virus (hMpxV) belongs to the Poxviridae family, sharing similarities with variola and vaccinia viruses.
- Global spread of hMpxV has raised public health concerns, with over 87,000 cases worldwide.
- Understanding hMpxV's molecular evolution is crucial due to differing disease presentations linked to its clades.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the epidemiology and molecular evolution of human monkeypox virus (hMpxV).
- To analyze genomic variations and selective pressures within hMpxV strains.
- To investigate adaptive mechanisms in host-pathogen interactions.
Main Methods:
- Computational biology analysis of 640 hMpxV genomes spanning 1962-2022.
- Comparative genomics to identify synteny breaks and gene conservation between clades.
- Analysis of selective pressures on protein-coding sequences.
Main Results:
- Strains from the 2022 outbreak were assigned to the West African clade.
- Synteny breaks and gene conservation were observed between Central and West African clades.
- Evidence of diversifying selective pressure on immunomodulatory genes and adaptive mechanisms in host-pathogen interactions was found.
Conclusions:
- hMpxV strains exhibit distinct evolutionary patterns and genomic features.
- Selective pressures shape hMpxV evolution, particularly in genes affecting host-pathogen interactions.
- Adaptive mechanisms are evident in paralog genes, indicating ongoing host-pathogen co-evolution.
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