Chikungunya virus evolution following a large 3'UTR deletion results in host-specific molecular changes in protein-coding regions.

ABSTRACT: The 3'untranslated region (UTR) in alphavirus genomes functions in virus replication and plays a role in determining virus host range. However, the molecular evolution of virus UTRs is understudied compared to the evolution of protein-coding regions. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has the longest 3'UTR among the alphaviruses (500-700 nt), and 3'UTR length and sequence structure vary substantially among different CHIKV lineages. Previous studies showed that genomic deletions and insertions are key drivers of CHIKV 3'UTR evolution. Inspired by hypothesized deletion events in the evolutionary history of CHIKV, we used experimental evolution to examine CHIKV adaptation in response to a large 3'UTR deletion. We engineered a CHIKV mutant with a 258 nt deletion in the 3'UTR (ΔDR1/2). This deletion red

SUBMITTER: Morley VJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6007266 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature