Patterns of divergence in the vCXCL and vGPCR gene clusters in primate cytomegalovirus genomes

Donald J. Alcendor, Jianchao Zong, Aidan Dolan, Derek Gatherer, Andrew J. Davison, Gary S. Hayward

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

18 Scopus citations

Abstract

Primate cytomegalovirus (CMV) genomes contain tandemly repeated gene clusters putatively encoding divergent CXC chemokine ligand-like proteins (vCXCLs) and G protein-coupled receptor-like proteins (vGPCRs). In human, chimpanzee and rhesus CMVs, respectively, the vCXCL cluster contains two, three and six genes, and the vGPCR cluster contains two, two and five genes. We report that (i) green monkey CMV strains fall into two groups, containing either eight and five genes or seven and six genes in the respective clusters, and (ii) owl monkey CMV has two and zero genes. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the vCXCL cluster evolved from a CXCL chemokine gene (probably GRO-α) that was captured in an incompletely spliced form by an ancestor of Old and New World primate CMVs, and that the vGPCR cluster evolved from a GPCR gene captured by an Old World primate CMV. Both clusters appear to have evolved via complex duplication and deletion events.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)21-32
Number of pages12
JournalVirology
Volume395
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 5 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Baboon cytomegalovirus
  • Chemokine
  • Chemokine receptor
  • Diversity
  • Evolution
  • GRO-α
  • Gene duplication
  • Green monkey cytomegalovirus
  • Owl monkey cytomegalovirus
  • Rhesus cytomegalovirus

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Virology

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