A tick-borne segmented RNA virus contains genome segments derived from unsegmented viral ancestors
- PMID: 24753611
- PMCID: PMC4020047
- DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1324194111
A tick-borne segmented RNA virus contains genome segments derived from unsegmented viral ancestors
Abstract
Although segmented and unsegmented RNA viruses are commonplace, the evolutionary links between these two very different forms of genome organization are unclear. We report the discovery and characterization of a tick-borne virus--Jingmen tick virus (JMTV)--that reveals an unexpected connection between segmented and unsegmented RNA viruses. The JMTV genome comprises four segments, two of which are related to the nonstructural protein genes of the genus Flavivirus (family Flaviviridae), whereas the remaining segments are unique to this virus, have no known homologs, and contain a number of features indicative of structural protein genes. Remarkably, homology searching revealed that sequences related to JMTV were present in the cDNA library from Toxocara canis (dog roundworm; Nematoda), and that shared strong sequence and structural resemblances. Epidemiological studies showed that JMTV is distributed in tick populations across China, especially Rhipicephalus and Haemaphysalis spp., and experiences frequent host-switching and genomic reassortment. To our knowledge, JMTV is the first example of a segmented RNA virus with a genome derived in part from unsegmented viral ancestors.
Keywords: evolution; segmentation.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Comment in
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Split reality for novel tick virus.Nat Rev Microbiol. 2014 Jul;12(7):464. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro3297. Epub 2014 Jun 9. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2014. PMID: 24909108 No abstract available.
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