Phylogenetic evidence supporting the nonenveloped nature of hepadnavirus ancestors

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Buigues, Jaime; Vinals, Adria; Martinez-Recio, Raquel; Monros, Juan S.; Cuevas, Jose M.; Sanjuan, Rafael
• 署名单位: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC); University of Valencia; University of Valencia; University of Valencia
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-12046
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2415631121
• 发表日期: 2024-11-05
• 关键词: virus; EVOLUTION; fish; bats

摘要

Reverse- transcribing animal DNA viruses include the hepadnaviruses, a well- characterized family of small enveloped viruses that infect vertebrates but also a sister group of nonenveloped viruses more recently discovered in fish and termed the nackednaviruses. Here, we describe the complete sequence of a virus found in the feces of an insectivorous bat, which encodes a core protein and a reverse transcriptase but no envelope protein. A database search identified a viral sequence from a permafrost sample as its closest relative. The two viruses form a cluster that occupies a basal phylogenetic position relative to hepadnaviruses and nackednaviruses, with an estimated divergence time of 500 My. These findings may lead to the definition of a proto- nackednavirus family and support the hypothesis that the ancestors of hepadnaviruses were nonenveloped.