Expanding networks of RNA virus evolution.
In a recent BMC Evolutionary Biology article, Huiquan Liu and colleagues report two new genomes of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) viruses from fungi and use these as a springboard to perform an extensive phylogenomic analysis of dsRNA viruses. The results support the old scenario of polyphyletic origin of dsRNA viruses from different groups of positive-strand RNA viruses and additionally reveal extensive horizontal gene transfer between diverse viruses consistent with the network-like rather than tree-like mode of viral evolution. Together with the unexpected discoveries of the first putative archaeal RNA virus and a RNA-DNA virus hybrid, this work shows that RNA viral genomics has major surprises to deliver.
National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20894, USA. koonin@ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Eugene V
EV
Koonin
Valerian V
VV
Dolja
D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016679:Genome, Viral; D012328:RNA Viruses / Q000235:genetics*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics*
D012367:RNA, Viral