title: Feline coronavirus type II strains 79-1683 and 79-1146 originate from a double recombination between feline coronavirus type I and canine coronavirus.
abstract: Recent evidence suggests that the type II feline coronavirus (FCoV) strains 79-1146 and 79-1683 have arisen from a homologous RNA recombination event between FCoV type I and canine coronavirus (CCV). In both cases, the template switch apparently took place between the S and M genes, giving rise to recombinant viruses which encode a CCV-like S protein and the M, N, 7a, and 7b proteins of FCoV type I (K. Motowaka, T. Hohdatsu, H. Hashimoto, and H. Koyama, Microbiol. Immunol. 40:425-433, 1996; H. Vennema, A. Poland, K. Floyd Hawkins, and N. C. Pedersen, Feline Pract. 23:40-44, 1995). In the present study, we have looked for additional FCoV-CCV recombination sites. Four regions in the pol gene were selected for comparative sequence analysis of the type II FCoV strains 79-1683 and 79-1146, the type I FCoV strains TN406 and UCD1, the CCV strain K378, and the TGEV strain Purdue. Our data show that the type II FCoVs have arisen from double recombination events: additional crossover sites were mapped in the ORF1ab frameshifting region of strain 79-1683 and in the 5' half of ORF1b of strain 79-1146.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Herrewegh
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Smeenk
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Horzinek
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Rottier
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: de Groot
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002415:Cats; D002460:Cell Line; D017934:Coronavirus / Q000235:genetics*; D017939:Coronavirus, Canine / Q000235:genetics*; D004279:DNA, Viral; D004285:Dogs; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral