Identification of multiple independent horizontal gene transfers into poxviruses using a comparative genomics approach.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Poxviruses are important pathogens of humans, livestock and wild animals. These large dsDNA viruses have a set of core orthologs whose gene order is extremely well conserved throughout poxvirus genera. They also contain many genes with sequence and functional similarity to host genes which were probably acquired by horizontal gene transfer.Although phylogenetic trees can indicate the occurrence of horizontal gene transfer and even uncover multiple events, their use may be hampered by uncertainties in both the topology and the rooting of the tree. We propose to use synteny conservation around the horizontally transferred gene (HTgene) to distinguish between single and multiple events.

Results

Here we devise a method that incorporates comparative genomic information

SUBMITTER: Bratke KA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2268676 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature