Abstract
BackgroundCytomegaloviruses belong to a large, ancient, genus of DNA viruses comprised of a wide array of species-specific strains that occur in diverse array of hosts.MethodsIn this study we sequenced the ~217 Kb genome of a cytomegalovirus isolated from a Mauritius cynomolgus macaque, CyCMV Mauritius, and compared it to previously sequenced cytomegaloviruses from a cynomolgus macaque of Filipino origin (CyCMV Ottawa) and two from Indian rhesus macaques (RhCMV 180.92 and RhCMV 68–1).ResultsThough more closely related to CyCMV Ottawa, CyCMV Mauritius is less genetically distant from both RhCMV strains than is CyCMV Ottawa. Several individual genes, including homologues of CMV genes RL11B, UL123, UL83b, UL84 and a homologue of mammalian COX-2, show a closer relationship between homologues of CyCMV Mauritius and the RhCMVs than between homologues of CyCMV Mauritius and CyCMV Ottawa. A broader phylogenetic analysis of 12 CMV strains from eight species recovers evolutionary relationships among viral strains that mirror those amongst the host species, further demonstrating co-evolution of host and virus.ConclusionsPhylogenetic analyses of rhesus and cynomolgus macaque CMV genome sequences demonstrate co-speciation of the virus and host.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2588-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Cytomegaloviruses belong to a large, ancient, genus of DNA viruses comprised of a wide array of species-specific strains that occur in diverse array of hosts
Our analyses indicate that the sequence of CyCMV Mauritius is highly similar to the sequence of CyCMV Ottawa, and that both are derived from a more recent common ancestor than either is with one of the rhesus macaque strains
Our assembly of Illumina reads from CyCMV Mauritius produced three contigs that were connected by Sanger sequencing
Summary
Cytomegaloviruses belong to a large, ancient, genus of DNA viruses comprised of a wide array of species-specific strains that occur in diverse array of hosts. Macaque monkeys are an important animal model in biomedical research, in infectious diseases. CMV evokes a type of effector memory T cell response, which intermittently is boosted by reactivated virus throughout the life of its immunocompetent host. This type of immune memory qualitatively is different from conventional T cell memory in that it does not require priming and can respond immediately to antigen. The evaluation of CMVs in rhesus and more recently, in cynomolgus macaques, has become a priority in order to facilitate the use of these animal models for vaccine research and development. Since previous studies have demonstrated only limited mixing and horizontal transmission between mammalian populations [8], it is thought that CMV, like other herpesviruses, diversified via co-evolution with their host species [8, 9]
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