The population history of endogenous retroviruses in mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).

ABSTRACT: Mobile elements are powerful agents of genomic evolution and can be exceptionally informative markers for investigating species and population-level evolutionary history. While several studies have utilized retrotransposon-based insertional polymorphisms to resolve phylogenies, few population studies exist outside of humans. Endogenous retroviruses are LTR-retrotransposons derived from retroviruses that have become stably integrated in the host genome during past infections and transmitted vertically to subsequent generations. They offer valuable insight into host-virus co-evolution and a unique perspective on host evolutionary history because they integrate into the genome at a discrete point in time. We examined the evolutionary history of a cervid endogenous gammaretrovirus (CrERVγ) in

SUBMITTER: Kamath PL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3920814 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar-Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature