The evolutionary arms race between mammals and retroviruses has long been recognized as one of the oldest host-parasite interactions. Rapid evolution rates in exogenous retroviruses have often made accurate viral age estimations highly problematic. Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs), however, integrate into the germline of their hosts, and are subjected to their evolutionary rates. This study describes, for the first time, a retroviral orthologue predating the divergence of placental mammals, giving it a minimum age of 104-110 Myr. Simultaneously, other orthologous selfish genetic elements (SGEs), inserted into the ERV sequence, provide evidence for the oldest individual mammalian-wide interspersed repeat and medium-reiteration frequency interspersed repeat mammalian repeats, with the same minimum age. The combined use of shared SGEs and reconstruction of viral orthologies defines new limits and increases maximum 'lookback' times, with subsequent implications for the field of paleovirology.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3758187 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2012.0503 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Phylogenetics, biogeography, and life history evolution in the broadly distributed treefrog genus Dendropsophus.
Mol Phylogenet Evol
December 2024
Florida State University, Department of Biological Science, Center for Anchored Phylogenomics, Tallahssee, FL, USA.
Dendropsophusis one of the most species-rich genera of treefrogs. Recent studies integrating Sanger-generated mitochondrial and nuclear loci with phenomic characters (SP) have advanced understanding of this clade, but questions about its internal relationships and biogeographic history persist. To address these questions, we used anchored hybrid enrichment (AHE) to combine 432 nuclear loci for 78 taxa (72 % of species) with published data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMillennial-scale microbiome analysis reveals ancient antimicrobial resistance conserved despite modern selection pressures.
Environ Microbiome
December 2024
Department of Biotechnology, School of Biosciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, 632014, India.
Background: Antimicrobial resistance presents a formidable challenge, yet its existence predates the introduction of antibiotics. Our study delves into the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in ancient permafrost microbiomes, comparing them with contemporary soil and pristine environments. Majority of the samples are from regions around Beringia, encompassing parts of Russia and Alaska, with only one sample originating from the Tien Shan Mountain range in Kyrgyzstan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInferring Long-Term and Short-Term Determinants of Genetic Diversity in Honey Bees: Beekeeping Impact and Conservation Strategies.
Mol Biol Evol
December 2024
GenPhySE, Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, Castanet Tolosan 31326, France.
Bees are vital pollinators in natural and agricultural landscapes around the globe, playing a key role in maintaining flowering plant biodiversity and ensuring food security. Among the honey bee species, the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is particularly significant, not only for its extensive crop pollination services but also for producing economically valuable products such as honey. Here, we analyzed whole-genome sequence data from four Apis species to explore how honey bee evolution has shaped current diversity patterns.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDivergent effects of short-term and continuous anthropogenic noise exposure on Western Bluebird parental care behavior.
PeerJ
December 2024
Department of Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo, California, United States.
Sensory environments are rapidly changing due to increased human activity in urban and non-urban areas alike. For instance, natural and anthropogenic sounds can interfere with parent-offspring communication and mask cues reflective of predation risk, resulting in elevated vigilance at the cost of provisioning. Here we present data from two separate studies involving anthropogenic noise and nestling provisioning behavior in Western Bluebirds (): one in response to short-term (1 h) experimental noise playback and a second in the context of nests located along a gradient of exposure to continuous noise.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntraspecific variation in the functional responses of an invasive tropical freshwater fish under increasing temperature regimes.
Sci Rep
November 2024
Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, 00185, Italy.
Global warming and the introduction of non-native fish represent major threats to freshwater biodiversity worldwide, but their effects have usually been investigated separately. Since most fish are ectotherms, their metabolism and feeding behaviour are highly influenced by temperature. Increasing water temperatures may thus exacerbate the impact of non-native fish, particularly those adapted to warmer conditions, on prey populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!