A Divergent Hepatitis D-Like Agent in Birds

Michelle Wille; Hans J Netter; Margaret Littlejohn; Lilly Yuen; Mang Shi; John-Sebastian Eden; Marcel Klaassen; Edward C Holmes; Aeron C Hurt

doi:10.3390/v10120720

A Divergent Hepatitis D-Like Agent in Birds

Viruses. 2018 Dec 17;10(12):720. doi: 10.3390/v10120720.

Authors

Michelle Wille¹, Hans J Netter², Margaret Littlejohn³, Lilly Yuen⁴, Mang Shi⁵, John-Sebastian Eden⁶, Marcel Klaassen⁷, Edward C Holmes⁸, Aeron C Hurt⁹

Affiliations

¹ WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia. michelle.wille@influenzacentre.org.
² Molecular Research and Development, Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia. Hans.Netter@mh.org.au.
³ Molecular Research and Development, Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia. Margaret.Littlejohn@vidrl.org.au.
⁴ Molecular Research and Development, Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory, Royal Melbourne Hospital at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia. Lilly.Yuen@vidrl.org.au.
⁵ Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Mang.Shi@sydney.edu.au.
⁶ Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. js.eden@sydney.edu.au.
⁷ Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia. Marcel.Klaassen@deakin.edu.au.
⁸ Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences and Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Edward.Holmes@sydney.edu.au.
⁹ WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Influenza, The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia. Aeron.Hurt@influenzacentre.org.

Abstract

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is currently only found in humans and is a satellite virus that depends on hepatitis B virus (HBV) envelope proteins for assembly, release, and entry. Using meta-transcriptomics, we identified the genome of a novel HDV-like agent in ducks. Sequence analysis revealed secondary structures that were shared with HDV, including self-complementarity and ribozyme features. The predicted viral protein shares 32% amino acid similarity to the small delta antigen of HDV and comprises a divergent phylogenetic lineage. The discovery of an avian HDV-like agent has important implications for the understanding of the origins of HDV and sub-viral agents.

Keywords: co-evolution; dabbling duck; hepatitis D virus; phylogeny.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Australia
Biological Coevolution
Bird Diseases / virology*
Ducks / virology*
Gene Expression Profiling
Genome, Viral
Genotype
Hepatitis B virus / genetics
Hepatitis D / veterinary*
Hepatitis Delta Virus / genetics*
Hepatitis Delta Virus / isolation & purification*
Phylogeny
RNA, Viral / genetics
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Viral Proteins / genetics

Substances

RNA, Viral
Viral Proteins