Ancient evolution of hepadnaviral paleoviruses and their impact on host genomes.

ABSTRACT: Hepadnaviruses (family Hepadnaviviridae) are reverse-transcribing animal viruses that infect vertebrates. DNA sequences derived from ancient hepadnaviruses have been identified in the germline genome of numerous vertebrate species, and these 'endogenous hepatitis B viruses' (eHBVs) reveal aspects of the long-term coevolutionary relationship between hepadnaviruses and their vertebrate hosts. Here, we use a novel, data-oriented approach to recover and analyse the complete repertoire of eHBV elements in published animal genomes. We show that germline incorporation of hepadnaviruses is exclusive to a single vertebrate group (Sauria) and that the eHBVs contained in saurian genomes represent a far greater diversity of hepadnaviruses than previously recognized. Through in-depth characteriz

SUBMITTER: Lytras S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7955980 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature