A genome-wide study of ruminants uncovers two endogenous retrovirus families recently active in goats.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Endogenous retroviruses (ERV) are traces of ancestral retroviral germline infections that constitute a significant portion of mammalian genomes and are classified as LTR-retrotransposons. The exploration of their dynamics and evolutionary history in ruminants remains limited, highlighting the need for a comprehensive and thorough investigation of the ERV landscape in the genomes of cattle, sheep and goat.

Results

Through a de novo bioinformatic analysis, we characterized 24 Class I and II ERV families across four reference assemblies of domestic and wild sheep and goats, and one assembly of cattle. Among these families, 13 are represented by consensus sequences identified in the five analyzed species, while eight are exclusive to small ruminants and three to cattl

SUBMITTER: Verneret M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11831830 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature