title: The genome of a Mesozoic paleovirus reveals the evolution of hepatitis B viruses.
abstract: Paleovirology involves the identification of ancient endogenous viral elements within eukaryotic genomes. The evolutionary origins of the reverse-transcribing hepatitis B viruses, however, remain elusive, due to the small number of endogenized sequences present in host genomes. Here we report a comprehensively dated genomic record of hepatitis B virus endogenizations that spans bird evolution from >82 to <12.1 million years ago. The oldest virus relic extends over a 99% complete hepatitis B virus genome sequence and constitutes the first discovery of a Mesozoic paleovirus genome. We show that Hepadnaviridae are >63 million years older than previously known and provide direct evidence for coexistence of hepatitis B viruses and birds during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras. Finally, phylogenetic analyses and distribution of hepatitis B virus relics suggest that birds potentially are the ancestral hosts of Hepadnaviridae and mammalian hepatitis B viruses probably emerged after a bird-mammal host switch. Our study reveals previously undiscovered and multi-faceted insights into prehistoric hepatitis B virus evolution and provides valuable resources for future studies, such as in-vitro resurrection of Mesozoic hepadnaviruses.
authors: Institute of Experimental Pathology (ZMBE), University of Münster, Von-Esmarch-Straße 56, D-48149 Münster, Germany. asuh@uni-muenster.de
authors: Alexander
authors: A
authors: Suh
authors: Jürgen
authors: J
authors: Brosius
authors: Jürgen
authors: J
authors: Schmitz
authors: Jan Ole
authors: JO
authors: Kriegs
mesh_terms: D019943:Amino Acid Substitution / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D005075:Biological Evolution; D017124:Conserved Sequence / Q000235:genetics; D046369:Finches / Q000821:virology; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000235:genetics*; D008322:Mammals / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional / Q000235:genetics; D010163:Paleontology; D010802:Phylogeny; D013997:Time Factors
references: J Biol Chem. 2008 Feb 1;283(5):2793-803
references: 18032378
references: Syst Biol. 2008 Oct;57(5):758-71
references: 18853362
references: J Virol. 2012 Sep;86(17):9510-3
references: 22718817
references: Lancet. 2009 Feb 14;373(9663):582-92
references: 19217993
references: Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2005 Jan;34(1):97-105
references: 15579384
references: J Virol. 2005 Mar;79(5):2729-42
references: 15708992
references: Bioinformatics. 2009 Jan 1;25(1):126-7
references: 18984599
references: PLoS Genet. 2010 Nov 18;6(11):e1001210
references: 21124950
references: Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2010 Jan;17(1):105-11
references: 19966799
references: Brief Bioinform. 2008 Jul;9(4):286-98
references: 18372315
references: J Mol Biol. 1990 Oct 5;215(3):403-10
references: 2231712
references: Nucleic Acids Res. 2011 Jan;39(Database issue):D876-82
references: 20959295
references: Nature. 2010 Apr 1;464(7289):757-62
references: 20360741
references: Science. 2008 Jun 27;320(5884):1763-8
references: 18583609
references: J Hered. 2009 Nov-Dec;100(6):659-74
references: 19892720
references: Viruses. 2011 Feb;3(2):83-101
references: 21765983
references: Nat Commun. 2011 Aug 23;2:443
references: 21863010
references: Cell Host Microbe. 2011 Oct 20;10(4):368-77
references: 22018237
references: Mol Biol Evol. 2011 Oct;28(10):2731-9
references: 21546353
references: Science. 2009 Sep 18;325(5947):1512
references: 19762636
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Oct 15;89(20):9489-93
references: 1329098
references: Nat Rev Genet. 2012 Mar 16;13(4):283-96
references: 22421730
references: Bioinformatics. 2003 Aug 12;19(12):1572-4
references: 12912839
references: J Virol. 2012 Jul;86(14):7688-91
references: 22553337
references: PLoS One. 2011;6(8):e23392
references: 21850270
references: J Virol. 2006 Nov;80(21):10307-14
references: 17041211
references: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1989 Sep;86(18):7059-62
references: 2780562
references: J Med Virol. 2012 Jun;84(6):871-7
references: 22499008
references: PLoS Genet. 2010 Nov 18;6(11):e1001191
references: 21124940
references: Curr Opin Virol. 2011 Oct;1(4):304-9
references: 22003379
references: Intervirology. 2000;43(3):185-90
references: 11044813
references: Biol Lett. 2006 Dec 22;2(4):543-7
references: 17148284
references: PLoS Biol. 2010 Sep 28;8(9):
references: 20927357