Genomic fossils reveal adaptation of non-autonomous pararetroviruses driven by concerted evolution of noncoding regulatory sequences.

ABSTRACT: The interplay of different virus species in a host cell after infection can affect the adaptation of each virus. Endogenous viral elements, such as endogenous pararetroviruses (PRVs), have arisen from vertical inheritance of viral sequences integrated into host germline genomes. As viral genomic fossils, these sequences can thus serve as valuable paleogenomic data to study the long-term evolutionary dynamics of virus-virus interactions, but they have rarely been applied for this purpose. All extant PRVs have been considered autonomous species in their parasitic life cycle in host cells. Here, we provide evidence for multiple non-autonomous PRV species with structural defects in viral activity that have frequently infected ancient grass hosts and adapted through interplay between viruses. O

SUBMITTER: Chen S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5491270 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature