virus evolution
Genetic Diversity and Evolution | SpotlightMolecular Characterization of Influenza C Viruses from Outbreaks in Hong Kong SAR, ChinaInfluenza C virus infection of humans is common, and reinfection can occur throughout life. While symptoms are generally mild, severe disease cases have been reported, but knowledge of the virus is limited, as little systematic surveillance for influenza C virus is conducted and the virus cannot be studied by classical virologic methods because it cannot be readily isolated in laboratories. A combination of systematic surveillance in...
Genetic Diversity and EvolutionInactivation of Genes by Frameshift Mutations Provides Rapid Adaptation of an Attenuated Vaccinia VirusGene inactivation is considered to be an important driver of orthopoxvirus evolution. Whereas cowpox virus contains intact orthologs of genes present in each orthopoxvirus species, numerous genes are inactivated in all other members of the genus. Inactivation of additional genes can occur upon extensive passaging of orthopoxviruses in cell culture leading to attenuation in vivo, a strategy for making vaccines. Whether...
Structure and AssemblyAntiangiogenic Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-Blocking Peptides Displayed on the Capsid of an Infectious Oncolytic Parvovirus: Assembly and Immune InteractionsTargeting the VEGF signaling required for neovascularization by vaccination with chimeric capsids of oncolytic viruses may boost therapy for solid tumors. VEGF-blocking peptides (VEbp) engineered in the capsid 3-fold axis endowed the infectious parvovirus MVM with the ability to induce α-VEGF antibodies without adjuvant and to evade neutralization by MVM-specific antibodies. However, these properties may be compromised by structural...
Genetic Diversity and EvolutionA Zoonotic Adenoviral Human Pathogen Emerged through Genomic Recombination among Human and Nonhuman Simian HostsAn emergent adenoviral human pathogen, HAdV-B76, associated with a fatality in 1965, shows a remarkable degree of genome identity with two recently isolated simian adenoviruses that contain cross-species genome recombination events from three hosts: human, chimpanzee, and bonobo. Zoonosis (nonhuman-to-human transmission) and anthroponosis (human to nonhuman transmission) may play significant roles in the emergence of human adenoviral...
Genetic Diversity and EvolutionIntrahost Selection Pressure Drives Equine Arteritis Virus Evolution during Persistent Infection in the Stallion Reproductive TractEAV can persist in the reproductive tract of infected stallions, and consequently, long-term carrier stallions constitute its sole natural reservoir. Previous studies demonstrated that the ampullae of the vas deferens are the primary site of viral persistence in the stallion reproductive tract and the persistence is associated with a significant inflammatory response that is unable to clear the infection. This is the first study that...
Genetic Diversity and EvolutionImpact of Cultivated Hosts on the Recombination of Cucumber Mosaic VirusRecombination is an important mechanism used by viruses for their diversification and to adapt to diverse hosts. Understanding the host role in the mechanisms of evolution is important for virus disease management and controlling the emergence of new strains. This study shows the impact that cultivated hosts are playing in the evolution of CMV. Furthermore, our results and previous studies show how some specific hosts could be an ideal...
Genetic Diversity and EvolutionPlasticity of Amino Acid Residue 145 Near the Receptor Binding Site of H3 Swine Influenza A Viruses and Its Impact on Receptor Binding and Antibody RecognitionThe complex and continuous antigenic evolution of IAVs remains a major hurdle for vaccine selection and effective vaccination. On the hemagglutinin (HA) of the H3N2 IAVs, the amino acid substitution N 145 K causes significant antigenic changes. We show that amino acid 145 displays remarkable amino acid plasticity in vitro, tolerating multiple amino acid substitutions, many of which have not yet been observed in nature. Mutant...
Genetic Diversity and Evolution | SpotlightA 1,000-Year-Old RNA VirusA virus related to plant chrysoviruses was found in numerous ancient samples of maize, with nearly complete genomes in three samples. The age of the ancient samples (i.e., about 1,000 years old) was confirmed by carbon dating. Chrysoviruses are persistent plant viruses. They infect their hosts from generation to generation by transmission through seeds and can remain in their hosts for very long time periods. When modern corn samples...
Virus-Cell InteractionsStructural Adaptations of Norovirus GII.17/13/21 Lineage through Two Distinct Evolutionary PathsOur understanding of the molecular bases behind the interplays between human noroviruses and their host glycan ligands, as well as their evolutionary changes over time with alterations in their host ligand binding capability and host susceptibility, remains limited. By solving the crystal structures of the glycan ligand binding protruding (P) domains with or without glycan ligands of three representative noroviruses of the GII.17/13/21...
