Genome characterization of cetaceanpox virus from a managed Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)

Thaís C S Rodrigues; Kuttichantran Subramaniam; Arvind Varsani; Grant McFadden; Adam M Schaefer; Gregory D Bossart; Carlos H Romero; Thomas B Waltzek

doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2020.197861

Genome characterization of cetaceanpox virus from a managed Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)

Virus Res. 2020 Mar:278:197861. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2020.197861. Epub 2020 Jan 7.

Authors

Thaís C S Rodrigues¹, Kuttichantran Subramaniam¹, Arvind Varsani², Grant McFadden³, Adam M Schaefer⁴, Gregory D Bossart⁵, Carlos H Romero¹, Thomas B Waltzek⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, 2187 Mowry Road, 32611 Gainesville, Florida, USA.
² The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, Center for Evolution and Medicine and School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 85287 Tempe, Arizona, USA; Structural Biology Research Unit, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape 7701, South Africa.
³ Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines, and Virotherapy (CIVV), The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, 85287 Tempe, Arizona, USA.
⁴ Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, 5600 US 1, North, 34946 Fort Pierce, Florida, USA.
⁵ Georgia Aquarium, 225 Baker Street, 30313 Atlanta, Georgia, USA; University of Miami, PO Box 016960 (R-46), 33101 Miami, Florida, USA.
⁶ Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, 2187 Mowry Road, 32611 Gainesville, Florida, USA. Electronic address: tbwaltzek@ufl.edu.

PMID: 31923559
DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2020.197861

Abstract

Cetaceanpox viruses (CePVs) are associated with a cutaneous disease in cetaceans often referred to as "tattoo" lesions. To date, only partial genomic data are available for CePVs, and thus, they remain unclassified members of the subfamily Chordopoxvirinae within the family Poxviridae. Herein, we describe the first complete CePV genome sequenced from the tattoo lesion of a managed Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus), using next-generation sequencing. The T. aduncus CePV genome (CePV-TA) was determined to encode 120 proteins, including eight genes unique to the CePV-TA and five genes predicted to function as immune-evasion genes. The results of CePV-TA genetic analyses supported the creation of a new chordopoxvirus genus for CePVs. The complete sequencing of a CePV represents an important first step in unraveling the evolutionary relationship and taxonomy of CePVs, and significantly increases our understanding of the genomic characteristics of these chordopoxviruses.

Keywords: Cetacea; Chordopoxvirinae; Odontocete; Poxvirus; Tattoo lesion; Taxonomy.

MeSH terms

Animals
Bottle-Nosed Dolphin / virology*
Genome, Viral*
Genomics
Immune Evasion
Phylogeny*
Poxviridae / classification*
Poxviridae / isolation & purification
Poxviridae Infections / veterinary*
Poxviridae Infections / virology
Viral Proteins / genetics
Whole Genome Sequencing

Substances

Viral Proteins