1
|
Caetano-Anollés G, Claverie JM, Nasir A. A critical analysis of the current state of virus taxonomy. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1240993. [PMID: 37601376 PMCID: PMC10435761 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1240993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Taxonomical classification has preceded evolutionary understanding. For that reason, taxonomy has become a battleground fueled by knowledge gaps, technical limitations, and a priorism. Here we assess the current state of the challenging field, focusing on fallacies that are common in viral classification. We emphasize that viruses are crucial contributors to the genomic and functional makeup of holobionts, organismal communities that behave as units of biological organization. Consequently, viruses cannot be considered taxonomic units because they challenge crucial concepts of organismality and individuality. Instead, they should be considered processes that integrate virions and their hosts into life cycles. Viruses harbor phylogenetic signatures of genetic transfer that compromise monophyly and the validity of deep taxonomic ranks. A focus on building phylogenetic networks using alignment-free methodologies and molecular structure can help mitigate the impasse, at least in part. Finally, structural phylogenomic analysis challenges the polyphyletic scenario of multiple viral origins adopted by virus taxonomy, defeating a polyphyletic origin and supporting instead an ancient cellular origin of viruses. We therefore, prompt abandoning deep ranks and urgently reevaluating the validity of taxonomic units and principles of virus classification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
- Evolutionary Bioinformatics Laboratory, Department of Crop Sciences and C.R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, United States
| | - Jean-Michel Claverie
- Structural and Genomic Information Laboratory (UMR7256), Mediterranean Institute of Microbiology (FR3479), IM2B, IOM, Aix Marseille University, CNRS, Marseille, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Castro LA, Leitner T, Romero-Severson E. Recombination smooths the time signal disrupted by latency in within-host HIV phylogenies. Virus Evol 2023; 9:vead032. [PMID: 37397911 PMCID: PMC10313349 DOI: 10.1093/ve/vead032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Within-host Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) evolution involves several features that may disrupt standard phylogenetic reconstruction. One important feature is reactivation of latently integrated provirus, which has the potential to disrupt the temporal signal, leading to variation in the branch lengths and apparent evolutionary rates in a tree. Yet, real within-host HIV phylogenies tend to show clear, ladder-like trees structured by the time of sampling. Another important feature is recombination, which violates the fundamental assumption that evolutionary history can be represented by a single bifurcating tree. Thus, recombination complicates the within-host HIV dynamic by mixing genomes and creating evolutionary loop structures that cannot be represented in a bifurcating tree. In this paper, we develop a coalescent-based simulator of within-host HIV evolution that includes latency, recombination, and effective population size dynamics that allows us to study the relationship between the true, complex genealogy of within-host HIV evolution, encoded as an ancestral recombination graph (ARG), and the observed phylogenetic tree. To compare our ARG results to the familiar phylogeny format, we calculate the expected bifurcating tree after decomposing the ARG into all unique site trees, their combined distance matrix, and the overall corresponding bifurcating tree. While latency and recombination separately disrupt the phylogenetic signal, remarkably, we find that recombination recovers the temporal signal of within-host HIV evolution caused by latency by mixing fragments of old, latent genomes into the contemporary population. In effect, recombination averages over extant heterogeneity, whether it stems from mixed time signals or population bottlenecks. Furthermore, we establish that the signals of latency and recombination can be observed in phylogenetic trees despite being an incorrect representation of the true evolutionary history. Using an approximate Bayesian computation method, we develop a set of statistical probes to tune our simulation model to nine longitudinally sampled within-host HIV phylogenies. Because ARGs are exceedingly difficult to infer from real HIV data, our simulation system allows investigating effects of latency, recombination, and population size bottlenecks by matching decomposed ARGs to real data as observed in standard phylogenies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas Leitner
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Recombinant characteristics of three novel HIV-1 second-generation recombinant forms composed of CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC isolated in Hebei province, China. Arch Virol 2023; 168:111. [PMID: 36917296 PMCID: PMC10012288 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-023-05738-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/15/2023]
Abstract
Human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) is a fast-evolving, genetically diverse virus. The HIV-1 evolution rate is also significantly influenced by the frequency of HIV-1 spread in a population. Transmission via homosexual contact has become the predominant transmission route, leading to an increase in the HIV-1 epidemic in Hebei province, China. In this study, we report three novel HIV-1 CRF01_AE/CRF07_BC recombinant forms isolated from three men who have sex with men (MSM) in the cities of Shijiazhuang (20747) and Langfang (20809 and 20820). Phylogenetic analysis based on HIV-1 near-full-length genome (NFLG) sequences indicated that the three novel recombinant forms formed a distinct monophyletic branch that was separate from all known HIV-1 subtypes and circulating recombinant forms (CRFs). Breakpoint analysis showed that the three NFLGs displayed different recombinant patterns. NFLGs 20747 and 20809 had a recombinant pattern with subtype CRF01_AE gene fragments inserted into a CRF07_BC backbone, spanning from the gag to env gene regions, whereas NFLG 20820 had a recombinant pattern with subtype CRF07_BC gene fragments inserted into a CRF01_AE backbone. Subregion phylogenetic analysis confirmed that these three NFLGs comprised CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC. Our findings confirm the emergence of novel recombinant forms and highlight the need for continuous monitoring of the diversity of HIV-1 among sexually active populations, especially MSM, to better control the HIV-1 epidemic.
Collapse
|
4
|
Yaseen MM, Abuharfeil NM, Darmani H. The impact of MDSCs on the efficacy of preventive and therapeutic HIV vaccines. Cell Immunol 2021; 369:104440. [PMID: 34560382 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2021.104440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
In spite of four decades of research on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus remains a major health problem, affecting tens of millions of people around the world. As such, developing an effective preventive/protective and therapeutic vaccines against HIV are essential to prevent/limit the continuous spread of the virus as well as to control the disease progression and to completely eradicate the virus from HIV infected patients, respectively. There are several factors that have impeded the development of such vaccines, and we need to gain further insight into these factors in order to enhance our knowledge concerning the proper immune activation pathways in the hope of accelerating the development of the highly sought-after vaccine. Recently, new immune cell populations, namely the myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), were added to the battle of HIV infection. Indeed, MDSCs seem to play a central role in determining the efficacy of therapeutic and preventive vaccines, especially because vaccines, in general, enhance immune responses, while as a potent immunosuppressor cell population, MDSCs, in turn, subvert and limit the activation of immune responses. Hence, in this work, we sought to address the role of MDSCs in the context of preventive/protective, as well as, therapeutic HIV vaccines.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud Mohammad Yaseen
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Science and Arts, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan.
| | - Nizar Mohammad Abuharfeil
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Science and Arts, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
| | - Homa Darmani
- Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faculty of Science and Arts, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Large Evolutionary Rate Heterogeneity among and within HIV-1 Subtypes and CRFs. Viruses 2021; 13:v13091689. [PMID: 34578270 PMCID: PMC8473000 DOI: 10.3390/v13091689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 is a fast-evolving, genetically diverse virus presently classified into several groups and subtypes. The virus evolves rapidly because of an error-prone polymerase, high rates of recombination, and selection in response to the host immune system and clinical management of the infection. The rate of evolution is also influenced by the rate of virus spread in a population and nature of the outbreak, among other factors. HIV-1 evolution is thus driven by a range of complex genetic, social, and epidemiological factors that complicates disease management and prevention. Here, we quantify the evolutionary (substitution) rate heterogeneity among major HIV-1 subtypes and recombinants by analyzing the largest collection of HIV-1 genetic data spanning the widest possible geographical (100 countries) and temporal (1981–2019) spread. We show that HIV-1 substitution rates vary substantially, sometimes by several folds, both across the virus genome and between major subtypes and recombinants, but also within a subtype. Across subtypes, rates ranged 3.5-fold from 1.34 × 10−3 to 4.72 × 10−3 in env and 2.3-fold from 0.95 × 10−3 to 2.18 × 10−3 substitutions site−1 year−1 in pol. Within the subtype, 3-fold rate variation was observed in env in different human populations. It is possible that HIV-1 lineages in different parts of the world are operating under different selection pressures leading to substantial rate heterogeneity within and between subtypes. We further highlight how such rate heterogeneity can complicate HIV-1 phylodynamic studies, specifically, inferences on epidemiological linkage of transmission clusters based on genetic distance or phylogenetic data, and can mislead estimates about the timing of HIV-1 lineages.
Collapse
|
6
|
Alexiev I, Campbell EM, Knyazev S, Pan Y, Grigorova L, Dimitrova R, Partsuneva A, Gancheva A, Kostadinova A, Seguin-Devaux C, Elenkov I, Yancheva N, Switzer WM. Molecular Epidemiological Analysis of the Origin and Transmission Dynamics of the HIV-1 CRF01_AE Sub-Epidemic in Bulgaria. Viruses 2021; 13:116. [PMID: 33467166 PMCID: PMC7829743 DOI: 10.3390/v13010116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
HIV-1 subtype CRF01_AE is the second most predominant strain in Bulgaria, yet little is known about the molecular epidemiology of its origin and transmissibility. We used a phylodynamics approach to better understand this sub-epidemic by analyzing 270 HIV-1 polymerase (pol) sequences collected from persons diagnosed with HIV/AIDS between 1995 and 2019. Using network analyses at a 1.5% genetic distance threshold (d), we found a large 154-member outbreak cluster composed mostly of persons who inject drugs (PWID) that were predominantly men. At d = 0.5%, which was used to identify more recent transmission, the large cluster dissociated into three clusters of 18, 12, and 7 members, respectively, five dyads, and 107 singletons. Phylogenetic analysis of the Bulgarian sequences with publicly available global sequences showed that CRF01_AE likely originated from multiple Asian countries, with Vietnam as the likely source of the outbreak cluster between 1988 and 1990. Our findings indicate that CRF01_AE was introduced into Bulgaria multiple times since 1988, and infections then rapidly spread among PWID locally with bridging to other risk groups and countries. CRF01_AE continues to spread in Bulgaria as evidenced by the more recent large clusters identified at d = 0.5%, highlighting the importance of public health prevention efforts in the PWID communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ivailo Alexiev
- National Reference Laboratory of HIV, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria; (L.G.); (R.D.); (A.P.); (A.G.); (A.K.)
| | - Ellsworth M. Campbell
- Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; (E.M.C.); (S.K.); (Y.P.); (W.M.S.)
| | - Sergey Knyazev
- Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; (E.M.C.); (S.K.); (Y.P.); (W.M.S.)
- Department of Computer Science, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - Yi Pan
- Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; (E.M.C.); (S.K.); (Y.P.); (W.M.S.)
| | - Lyubomira Grigorova
- National Reference Laboratory of HIV, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria; (L.G.); (R.D.); (A.P.); (A.G.); (A.K.)
| | - Reneta Dimitrova
- National Reference Laboratory of HIV, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria; (L.G.); (R.D.); (A.P.); (A.G.); (A.K.)
| | - Aleksandra Partsuneva
- National Reference Laboratory of HIV, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria; (L.G.); (R.D.); (A.P.); (A.G.); (A.K.)
| | - Anna Gancheva
- National Reference Laboratory of HIV, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria; (L.G.); (R.D.); (A.P.); (A.G.); (A.K.)
| | - Asya Kostadinova
- National Reference Laboratory of HIV, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, 1504 Sofia, Bulgaria; (L.G.); (R.D.); (A.P.); (A.G.); (A.K.)
| | - Carole Seguin-Devaux
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health, 4354 Luxembourg, Luxembourg;
| | - Ivaylo Elenkov
- Specialized Hospital for Active Treatment of Infectious & Parasitic Diseases, 1606 Sofia, Bulgaria; (I.E.); (N.Y.)
| | - Nina Yancheva
- Specialized Hospital for Active Treatment of Infectious & Parasitic Diseases, 1606 Sofia, Bulgaria; (I.E.); (N.Y.)
| | - William M. Switzer
- Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA; (E.M.C.); (S.K.); (Y.P.); (W.M.S.)
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Nasir A, Romero-Severson E, Claverie JM. Investigating the Concept and Origin of Viruses. Trends Microbiol 2020; 28:959-967. [PMID: 33158732 PMCID: PMC7609044 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2020.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has piqued public interest in the properties, evolution, and emergence of viruses. Here, we discuss how these basic questions have surprisingly remained disputed despite being increasingly within the reach of scientific analysis. We review recent data-driven efforts that shed light into the origin and evolution of viruses and explain factors that resist the widespread acceptance of new views and insights. We propose a new definition of viruses that is not restricted to the presence or absence of any genetic or physical feature, detail a scenario for how viruses likely originated from ancient cells, and explain technical and conceptual biases that limit our understanding of virus evolution. We note that the philosophical aspects of virus evolution also impact the way we might prepare for future outbreaks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arshan Nasir
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics (T-6), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA.
| | - Ethan Romero-Severson
- Theoretical Biology and Biophysics (T-6), Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Jean-Michel Claverie
- Aix Marseille University, CNRS, IGS, Structural and Genomic Information Laboratory (UMR7256), Mediterranean Institute of Microbiology (FR3479), Marseille, France
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Within-host diversity complicates transmission models because it recognizes that between-host virus phylogenies are not identical to the transmission history among the infected hosts. This review presents the biological and theoretical foundations for recent development in this field, and shows that modern phylodynamic methods are capable of inferring realistic transmission histories from HIV sequence data. RECENT FINDINGS Transmission of single or multiple genetic variants from a donor's HIV population results in donor-recipient phylogenies with combinations of monophyletic, paraphyletic, and polyphyletic patterns. Large-scale simulations and analyses of many real HIV datasets have established that transmission direction, directness, or common source often can be inferred based on HIV sequence data. Phylodynamic reconstruction of HIV transmissions that include within-host HIV diversity have recently been established and made available in several software packages. SUMMARY Phylodynamic methods that include realistic features of HIV genetic diversification have come of age, significantly improving inference of key epidemiological parameters. This opens the door to more accurate surveillance and better-informed prevention campaigns.
Collapse
|
9
|
Raad NG, Ghattas IR, Amano R, Watanabe N, Sakamoto T, Smith CA. Altered‐specificity mutants of the HIV Rev arginine‐rich motif‐RRE IIB interaction. J Mol Recognit 2020; 33:e2833. [DOI: 10.1002/jmr.2833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2019] [Revised: 12/08/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole G. Raad
- Department of BiologyAmerican University of Beirut Beirut Lebanon
| | | | - Ryo Amano
- Department of Life ScienceChiba Institute of Technology Chiba Japan
| | - Natsuki Watanabe
- Department of Life ScienceChiba Institute of Technology Chiba Japan
| | - Taiichi Sakamoto
- Department of Life ScienceChiba Institute of Technology Chiba Japan
| | - Colin A. Smith
- Department of BiologyAmerican University of Beirut Beirut Lebanon
| |
Collapse
|