title: An RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene in bat genomes derived from an ancient negative-strand RNA virus.
abstract: Endogenous bornavirus-like L (EBLL) elements are inheritable sequences derived from ancient bornavirus L genes that encode a viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) in many eukaryotic genomes. Here, we demonstrate that bats of the genus Eptesicus have preserved for more than 11.8 million years an EBLL element named eEBLL-1, which has an intact open reading frame of 1,718 codons. The eEBLL-1 coding sequence revealed that functional motifs essential for mononegaviral RdRp activity are well conserved in the EBLL-1 genes. Genetic analyses showed that natural selection operated on eEBLL-1 during the evolution of Eptesicus. Notably, we detected efficient transcription of eEBLL-1 in tissues from Eptesicus bats. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first report showing that the eukaryotic genome has gained a riboviral polymerase gene from an ancient virus that has the potential to encode a functional RdRp.
authors.affiliation: Transboundary Animal Diseases Research Center, Joint Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.|Institute for Virology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Horie
authors.affiliation: College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Viral Oncology, Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology II, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Kan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujino
authors.affiliation: Laboratory Forest Ecosystem Management, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akasaka
authors.affiliation: Center for Biological Safety and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kohl
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife research, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wibbelt
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife research, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mühldorfer
authors.affiliation: Center for Biological Safety and Special Pathogens, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kurth
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Marcel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany.|German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner sites Bonn-Cologne, Germany.
authors.forename: Victor M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Corman
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gillich
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Institute for Virology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schwemmle
authors.affiliation: Department of Viral Oncology, Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.|Department of Tumor Viruses, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.|Department of Mammalian Regulatory Network, Graduate School of Biostudies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Keizo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tomonaga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D028981:Bornaviridae / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D016678:Genome; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase