Vertebrate-tropism of a cressdnavirus lineage implicated by poxvirus gene capture.

ABSTRACT: Among cressdnaviruses, only the family Circoviridae is recognized to infect vertebrates, while many others have unknown hosts. Detection of virus-to-host horizontal gene transfer is useful for solving such virus-host relationships. Here, we extend this utility to an unusual case of virus-to-virus horizontal transfer, showing multiple ancient captures of cressdnavirus Rep genes by avipoxviruses-large dsDNA pathogens of birds and other saurians. As gene transfers must have occurred during virus coinfections, saurian hosts were implied for the cressdnavirus donor lineage. Surprisingly, phylogenetic analysis revealed that donors were not members of the vertebrate-infecting Circoviridae, instead belonging to a previously unclassified family that we name Draupnirviridae</

SUBMITTER: Kinsella CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10193959 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature