Viruses, Vol. 11, Pages 167: Genetic Evolution and Molecular Selection of the HE Gene of Influenza C Virus

Viruses, Vol. 11, Pages 167: Genetic Evolution and Molecular Selection of the HE Gene of Influenza C Virus Viruses doi: 10.3390/v11020167 Authors: Wenyan Zhang Letian Zhang Wanting He Xu Zhang Baiqing Wen Congcong Wang Qiuhua Xu Gairu Li Jiyong Zhou Michael Veit Shuo Su Influenza C virus (ICV) was first identified in humans and swine, but recently also in cattle, indicating a wider host range and potential threat to both the livestock industry and public health than was originally anticipated. The ICV hemagglutinin-esterase (HE) glycoprotein has multiple functions in the viral replication cycle and is the major determinant of antigenicity. Here, we developed a comparative approach integrating genetics, molecular selection analysis, and structural biology to identify the codon usage and adaptive evolution of ICV. We show that ICV can be classified into six lineages, consistent with previous studies. The HE gene has a low codon usage bias, which may facilitate ICV replication by reducing competition during evolution. Natural selection, dinucleotide composition, and mutation pressure shape the codon usage patterns of the ICV HE gene, with natural selection being the most important factor. Codon adaptation index (CAI) and relative codon deoptimization index (RCDI) analysis revealed that the greatest adaption of ICV was to humans, followed by cattle and swine. Additionally, similarity index (SiD) analysis revealed that swine exerted a stronger evolution...
Source: Viruses - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research