Phylogeny and antigenic relationships of three cervid herpesviruses.
Elk herpesvirus (ElkHV) from North American elk (wapiti, Cervus elaphus nelsoni) is a recently identified alphaherpesvirus related to bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1). In this study, we determined its relationship with European cervid herpesviruses: cervid herpesvirus-1 (CerHV-1) from red deer and rangiferine herpesvirus (RanHV) from reindeer. For phylogenetic analysis, genes for the gC and gD proteins of these viruses were sequenced. These genes demonstrated an extremely high GC content (76-79%). Genetically, ElkHV was found to be closely related to CerHV-1 and both viruses are more closely related to BHV-1 than to RanHV. Antigenically, the same relationships were found. ElkHV shares common neutralizing epitopes with both CerHV-1 and RanHV. A total of 10 epitopes were defined on the gB, gC and gD proteins of these viruses, including a shared neutralizing epitope on gD. The results indicate that ElkHV and CerHV-1 have diverged from a common ancestor virus. Cervid herpesviruses may be useful in determination of evolutionary rates of change for alphaherpesvirus genes.
Deregt
Dirk
D
Virology Section, Lethbridge Laboratory (Animal Diseases Research Institute), Canadian Food Inspection Agency, P.O. Box 640, Lethbridge, Alta., Canada T1J 3Z4. deregtd@inspection.gc.ca
Gilbert
Scott A
SA
Campbell
Iris
I
Burton
Kimberley M
KM
Reid
Hugh W
HW
van Drunen Littel-van den Hurk
Sylvia
S
Penniket
Carolyn
C
Baxi
Mohit K
MK
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D003670:Deer / Q000821:virology*; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012053:Reindeer / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D018140:Varicellovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins