Expanding networks of RNA virus evolution

• Main Authors: Koonin Eugene V, Dolja Valerian V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2012-06-01
• Series: BMC Biology
• Online Access: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/10/54

<p>Abstract</p> <p>In a recent <it>BMC Evolutionary Biology </it>article, Huiquan Liu and colleagues report two new genomes of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) viruses from fungi and use these as a springboard to perform an extensive phylogenomic analysis of dsRNA viruses. The results support the old scenario of polyphyletic origin of dsRNA viruses from different groups of positive-strand RNA viruses and additionally reveal extensive horizontal gene transfer between diverse viruses consistent with the network-like rather than tree-like mode of viral evolution. Together with the unexpected discoveries of the first putative archaeal RNA virus and a RNA-DNA virus hybrid, this work shows that RNA viral genomics has major surprises to deliver.</p> <p>See research article: <url>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/12/91</url></p>