Homologous recombination is a force in the evolution of canine distemper virus

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 12; no. 4; p. e0175416
• Main Authors: Yuan, Chaowen, Liu, Wenxin, Wang, Yingbo, Hou, Jinlong, Zhang, Liguo, Wang, Guoqing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 10-04-2017; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Animal diseases; Biodiversity; Biological evolution; Biology and Life Sciences; Canine distemper; Carnivores; Computer and Information Sciences; Distemper Virus, Canine - genetics; Evolution; Gene mutation; Gene sequencing; Genetic diversity; Genetic Variation; Genome; Genomes; Genotypes; Homologous Recombination; Homology; Homology (Biology); Membrane proteins; Mutation; Nucleotide sequence; Nucleotides; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Research and Analysis Methods; Selection, Genetic; Studies; Viruses
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0175416

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is the causative agent of canine distemper (CD) that is a highly contagious, lethal, multisystemic viral disease of receptive carnivores. The prevalence of CDV is a major concern in susceptible animals. Presently, it is unclear whether intragenic recombination can contribute to gene mutations and segment reassortment in the virus. In this study, 25 full-length CDV genome sequences were subjected to phylogenetic and recombinational analyses. The results of phylogenetic analysis, intragenic recombination, and nucleotide selection pressure indicated that mutation and recombination occurred in the six individual genes segment (H, F, P, N, L, M) of the CDV genome. The analysis also revealed pronounced genetic diversity in the CDV genome according to the geographically distinct lineages (genotypes), namely Asia-1, Asia-2, Asia-3, Europe, America-1, and America-2. The six recombination events were detected using SimPlot and RDP programs. The analysis of selection pressure demonstrated that a majority of the nucleotides in the CDV individual gene were under negative selection. Collectively, these data suggested that homologous recombination acts as a key force driving the genetic diversity and evolution of canine distemper virus.