Genomic signatures of human versus avian influenza A viruses.
Position-specific entropy profiles created from scanning 306 human and 95 avian influenza A viral genomes showed that 228 of 4591 amino acid residues yielded significant differences between these 2 viruses. We subsequently used 15,785 protein sequences from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) to assess the robustness of these signatures and obtained 52 "species-associated" positions. Specific mutations on those points may enable an avian influenza virus to become a human virus. Many of these signatures are found in NP, PA, and PB2 genes (viral ribonucleoproteins [RNPs]) and are mostly located in the functional domains related to RNP-RNP interactions that are important for viral replication. Upon inspecting 21 human-isolated avian influenza viral genomes from NCBI, we found 19 that exhibited > or =1 species-associated residue changes; 7 of them contained > or =2 substitutions. Histograms based on pairwise sequence comparison showed that NP disjointed most between human and avian influenza viruses, followed by PA and PB2.
Chen
Guang-Wu
GW
Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Chang
Shih-Cheng
SC
Mok
Chee-keng
CK
Lo
Yu-Luan
YL
Kung
Yu-Nong
YN
Huang
Ji-Hung
JH
Shih
Yun-Han
YH
Wang
Ji-Yi
JY
Chiang
Chiayn
C
Chen
Chi-Jene
CJ
Shih
Shin-Ru
SR
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000821:virology; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006801:Humans; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D053126:Influenza A Virus, H7N7 Subtype / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D053127:Influenza A Virus, H9N2 Subtype / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000821:virology*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000821:virology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D014764:Viral Proteins