Quasispecies composition and phylogenetic analysis of feline coronaviruses (FCoVs) in naturally infected cats.
Quasispecies composition and tissue distribution of feline coronaviruses (FCoVs) were studied in naturally infected cats. The genomic complexity of FCoVs was investigated using single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of N and ORF7b amplicons, and the evolutionary process was investigated by sequence-based phylogenetic analysis. SSCP analysis showed high heterogeneity of the FCoV genome which was correlated with the seriousness of the clinical form. The two genomic regions analysed showed different levels of variation; the N region demonstrated significant heterogeneity as compared to ORF7b. Phylogenetic analysis of the nucleotide sequences showed the clear separation of sequences analysed on the basis of virulence and geographical origin. A maximum likelihood analysis of N and ORF7b data sets showed a situation of strong heterogeneity for the N region.
Battilani
Mara
M
Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria e Patologia Animale-Servizio MIPAV, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra, 50, 40064 (Bo), Ozzano Emilia, Italy. mbattilani@vet.unibo.it
Coradin
Tiziana
T
Scagliarini
Alessandra
A
Ciulli
Sara
S
Ostanello
Fabio
F
Prosperi
Santino
S
Morganti
Luigi
L
D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats / Q000821:virology; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D016765:Coronavirus, Feline / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016766:Feline Infectious Peritonitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D005814:Genes, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D005828:Genetics, Population; D016679:Genome, Viral; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA