Principal host relationships and evolutionary history of the North American arenaviruses

Abstract

A previous study suggested that the genomes of the arenaviruses native to North America are a product of genetic recombination between New World arenaviruses with significantly different phylogenetic histories. The purpose of this study was to extend our knowledge of the principal host relationships and evolutionary history of the North American arenaviruses. The results of this study suggest that the large-eared woodrat (Neotoma macrotis) is a principal host of Bear Canyon virus and that the present-day association of Bear Canyon virus with the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) in southern California represents a successful host-jumping event from the large-eared woodrat to the California mouse. Together, the results of analyses of viral gene sequence data in this study and our knowledge of the phylogeography of the rodents that serve as principal hosts of the New World arenaviruses suggest that genetic recombination between arenaviruses with significantly different phylogenetic histories did not play a role in the evolution of the North American arenaviruses.

Figure 1

Phylogenetic relationships among 15 arenaviruses based on neighbor-joining analyses of p model distances generated from alignments of (1A) complete glycoprotein precursor gene sequences and (1B) complete nucleocapsid protein gene sequences. The lengths of the horizontal branches are proportional to nucleotide sequence divergence. The length of each scale bar is equivalent to a sequence divergence of 0.05. The numerical value at the node indicates the percentage of 1000 bootstrap replicates that supported the interior branch. Bootstrap support values less than 70% are not listed. Strain AV 98470029 (GenBank accession no. AY924392); BCNV, Bear Canyon virus strains AV A0060209 and AV A0070039 (AF512833 and AY924390, respectively); TAMV, Tamiami virus strain W-10777 (AF512828); WWAV, Whitewater Arroyo virus strain AV 9310135 (AF228063); PICV, Pichindé virus strain An 3739 (NC_006447); PIRV, Pirital virus strain VAV-488 (NC_005894); AMAV, Amapari virus strain BeAn 70563 (AF512834); GTOV, Guanarito virus strain INH-95551 (NC_005077); JUNV, Junin virus strain XJ13 (NC_005081); MACV, Machupo virus strain Carvallo (NC_005078); SABV, Sabiá virus strain SPH 114202 (NC_006317); TCRV, Tacaribe virus strain TRVL II573 (NC_004293); LASV, Lassa virus strain Josiah (NC_004296); LCMV, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus strain WE (M22138).

Figure 2

Phylogenetic relationships among 13 arenaviruses based on neighbor-joining analyses of p model distances generated from alignments of (2A) complete Z gene sequences and (2B) complete RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene sequences. The lengths of the horizontal branches are proportional to nucleotide sequence divergence. The length of each scale bar is equivalent to a sequence divergence of 0.05. The numerical value at the node indicates the percentage of 1000 bootstrap replicates that supported the interior branch. Bootstrap support values less than 70% are not listed. BCNV, Bear Canyon virus strain AV A0070039 (GenBank accession no. AY924391); TAMV, Tamiami virus strain W-10777 (AY924393); WWAV, Whitewater Arroyo virus strain AV 9310135 (AY924395); PICV, Pichindé virus strain An 3739 (NC_006439); PIRV, Pirital virus strain VAV-488 (NC_005897); AMAV, Amapari virus strain BeAn 70563 (AY924389); GTOV, Guanarito virus strain INH-95551 (NC_005082); JUNV, Junin virus strain XJ13 (NC_005080); MACV, Machupo virus strain Carvallo (NC_005079); SABV, Sabiá virus strain SPH 114202 (NC_006313); TCRV, Tacaribe virus strain TRVL II573 (NC_004292); LASV, Lassa virus strain Josiah (NC_004297); LCMV, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus strain WE (AF004519).