Cross-Species Transmission in the Speciation of the Currently Known Murinae-Associated Hantaviruses

• DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00021-12
• Publication Date: 2012-08-02T00:21:45Z
• Authors: Xian-Dan Lin; Wen Wang; Wen-Ping Guo; Xiao-He Zhang; Jian-Guang Xing; Sheng-Ze Chen; Ming-Hui Li; Yi Chen; Jianguo Xu; Alexander Plyusnin; Yong-Zhen Zhang
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; Base Sequence; Geography; Genetic Speciation; Sequence Analysis, RNA; Hantavirus Infections; Molecular Sequence Data; Genetic Variation; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Cytochromes b; Hantaan virus; Rats; 3. Good health; Rodent Diseases; Viral Proteins; 03 medical and health sciences; Animals; RNA, Viral; Murinae; Phylogeny

ABSTRACTTo gain more insight into the phylogeny of Dabieshan virus (DBSV), carried byNiviventer confucianusand otherMurinae-associated hantaviruses, genome sequences of novel variants of DBSV were recovered fromNiviventerrats trapped in the mountainous areas of Wenzhou, China. Genetic analyses show that all known genetic variants of DBSV, including the ones identified in this study, are distinct from otherMurinae-associated hantaviruses. DBSV variants show geographic clustering and high intraspecies diversity. The data suggest that DBSV is a distinct species in the genusHantavirus. Interestingly, DBSV shows the highest sequence identity to Hantaan virus (HTNV), with a >7% difference in the sequences of the N, GPC, and L proteins, whileN. confucianusis more closely related toRattus norvegicus(the host of Seoul virus [SEOV]) than toApodemus agrarius(the host of HTNV and Saaremaa virus [SAAV]). Further genetic analyses of all knownMurinae-associated hantaviruses (both established and tentative species) show that many of them, including DBSV, may have originated from host switching. The estimation of evolutionary rates and divergence time supports the role of cross-species transmission in the evolution ofMurinae-associated hantaviruses. The detection of positive selection suggests that genetic drift may contribute to the speciation ofMurinae-associated hantaviruses and that adaptation has a role as well.