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Mehl C, Adeyemi OA, Wylezich C, Höper D, Beer M, Triebenbacher C, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Lineage V in Wood Mice, Germany. Emerg Infect Dis 2024; 30:399-401. [PMID: 38270110 PMCID: PMC10826776 DOI: 10.3201/eid3002.230868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
We identified a novel lineage of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, tentatively named lineage V, in wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) from Germany. Wood mouse-derived lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus can be found across a substantially greater range than previously thought. Increased surveillance is needed to determine its geographic range and zoonotic potential.
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Labutin A, Heckel G. Genome-wide support for incipient Tula hantavirus species within a single rodent host lineage. Virus Evol 2024; 10:veae002. [PMID: 38361825 PMCID: PMC10868551 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veae002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary divergence of viruses is most commonly driven by co-divergence with their hosts or through isolation of transmission after host shifts. It remains mostly unknown, however, whether divergent phylogenetic clades within named virus species represent functionally equivalent byproducts of high evolutionary rates or rather incipient virus species. Here, we test these alternatives with genomic data from two widespread phylogenetic clades in Tula orthohantavirus (TULV) within a single evolutionary lineage of their natural rodent host, the common vole Microtus arvalis. We examined voles from forty-two locations in the contact region between clades for TULV infection by reverse transcription (RT)-PCR. Sequencing yielded twenty-three TULV Central North and twenty-one TULV Central South genomes, which differed by 14.9-18.5 per cent at the nucleotide and 2.2-3.7 per cent at the amino acid (AA) level without evidence of recombination or reassortment between clades. Geographic cline analyses demonstrated an abrupt (<1 km wide) transition between the parapatric TULV clades in continuous landscape. This transition was located within the Central mitochondrial lineage of M. arvalis, and genomic single nucleotide polymorphisms showed gradual mixing of host populations across it. Genomic differentiation of hosts was much weaker across the TULV Central North to South transition than across the nearby hybrid zone between two evolutionary lineages in the host. We suggest that these parapatric TULV clades represent functionally distinct, incipient species, which are likely differently affected by genetic polymorphisms in the host. This highlights the potential of natural viral contact zones as systems for investigating the genetic and evolutionary factors enabling or restricting the transmission of RNA viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anton Labutin
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, Bern 3012, Switzerland
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, Bern 3012, Switzerland
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Nippert S, Rubbenstroth D, Geers JA, Ebinger A, Hoffmann D, Breithaupt A, Wylezich C, Wang X, Haring VC, Starcky P, Fruci P, Langner C, Trapp C, Schulz H, Stubbe W, Imholt C, Heckel G, Beer M, Pfaff F, Ulrich RG. Continuous presence of genetically diverse rustrela virus lineages in yellow-necked field mouse reservoir populations in northeastern Germany. Virus Evol 2023; 9:vead048. [PMID: 37744713 PMCID: PMC10516363 DOI: 10.1093/ve/vead048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Rustrela virus (RusV; species Rubivirus strelense, family Matonaviridae) was discovered in different zoo animal species affected by fatal encephalitis. Simultaneous RusV RNA detection in multiple yellow-necked field mice (Apodemus flavicollis) suggested this rodent as a reservoir of RusV. Here, we investigated 1,264 yellow-necked field mice and sympatric other small mammals from different regions in Germany for RusV RNA using an optimized reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) protocol and high-throughput sequencing. The investigation resulted in the detection of RusV RNA exclusively in 50 of 396 (12.6 per cent) yellow-necked field mice but absence in other sympatric species. RT-qPCR-determined tissue distribution of RusV RNA revealed the highest viral loads in the central nervous system, with other tissues being only very rarely affected. The histopathological evaluation did not reveal any hints of encephalitis in the brains of infected animals despite the detection of viral RNA in neurons by in situ hybridization (ISH). The positive association between the body mass of yellow-necked field mice and RusV RNA detection suggests a persistent infection. Phylogenetic analysis of partial E1 and full-genome sequences showed a high diversification with at least four RusV lineages (1A-1D) in northeastern Germany. Moreover, phylogenetic and isolation-by-distance analyses indicated evolutionary processes of RusV mostly in local reservoir populations. A comparison of complete genome sequences from all detected RusV lineages demonstrated a high level of amino acid and nucleotide sequence variability within a part of the p150 peptide of the non-structural polyprotein and its coding sequence, respectively. The location of this region within the RusV genome and its genetic properties were comparable to the hypervariable region of the rubella virus. The broad range of detected RusV spillover hosts in combination with its geographical distribution in northeastern Germany requires the assessment of its zoonotic potential and further analysis of encephalitis cases in mammals. Future studies have to prove a putative co-evolution scenario for RusV in the yellow-necked field mouse reservoir.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Nippert
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
| | - Dennis Rubbenstroth
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
| | - Jessica Anna Geers
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
| | - Arnt Ebinger
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
| | - Donata Hoffmann
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
| | - Angele Breithaupt
- Department of Experimental Animal Facilities and Biorisk Management, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
| | - Claudia Wylezich
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
- Department of Experimental Animal Facilities and Biorisk Management, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
| | - Xuejing Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstraße 6, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland
| | - Viola C Haring
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
| | - Philip Starcky
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
| | - Paola Fruci
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
- Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Teramo, Via Renato Balzarini 1, Teramo 64100, Italy
| | - Christoph Langner
- Stralsund Zoological Garden, Grünhufer Bogen 2, Stralsund 18437, Germany
| | - Christin Trapp
- Tierpark Grimmen, Friedrichstraße 20, Grimmen 18507, Germany
| | - Heiko Schulz
- Betriebsteil Forstplanung/Versuchswesen/Informationssysteme, Landesforst Mecklenburg-Vorpommern—Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts, Zeppelinstraße 3, Schwerin 19061, Germany
| | - Wilko Stubbe
- Institut für Allgemeine und Systematische Zoologie, Universität Greifswald, Loitzer Straße 26, Greifswald 17489, Germany
| | - Christian Imholt
- Rodent Research, Institute for Epidemiology and Pathogen Diagnostics, Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Toppheideweg 88, Münster 48161, Germany
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstraße 6, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland
| | - Martin Beer
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
| | - Florian Pfaff
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Germany
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Wang X, Peischl S, Heckel G. Demographic history and genomic consequences of 10,000 generations of isolation in a wild mammal. Curr Biol 2023; 33:2051-2062.e4. [PMID: 37178689 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Increased human activities caused the isolation of populations in many species-often associated with genetic depletion and negative fitness effects. The effects of isolation are predicted by theory, but long-term data from natural populations are scarce. We show, with full genome sequences, that common voles (Microtus arvalis) in the Orkney archipelago have remained genetically isolated from conspecifics in continental Europe since their introduction by humans over 5,000 years ago. Modern Orkney vole populations are genetically highly differentiated from continental conspecifics as a result of genetic drift processes. Colonization likely started on the biggest Orkney island and vole populations on smaller islands were gradually split off, without signs of secondary admixture. Despite having large modern population sizes, Orkney voles are genetically depauperate and successive introductions to smaller islands resulted in further reduction of genetic diversity. We detected high levels of fixation of predicted deleterious variation compared with continental populations, particularly on smaller islands, yet the fitness effects realized in nature are unknown. Simulations showed that predominantly mildly deleterious mutations were fixed in populations, while highly deleterious mutations were purged early in the history of the Orkney population. Relaxation of selection overall due to benign environmental conditions on the islands and the effects of soft selection may have contributed to the repeated, successful establishment of Orkney voles despite potential fitness loss. Furthermore, the specific life history of these small mammals, resulting in relatively large population sizes, has probably been important for their long-term persistence in full isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejing Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Peischl
- Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Amphipôle, Quartier UNIL-Sorge, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Amphipôle, Quartier UNIL-Sorge, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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Dafalla M, Orłowska A, Keleş SJ, Straková P, Schlottau K, Jeske K, Hoffmann B, Wibbelt G, Smreczak M, Müller T, Freuling CM, Wang X, Rola J, Drewes S, Fereidouni S, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. Hantavirus Brno loanvirus is highly specific to the common noctule bat (Nyctalus noctula) and widespread in Central Europe. Virus Genes 2023; 59:323-332. [PMID: 36542315 PMCID: PMC10025241 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-022-01952-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Bat-associated hantaviruses have been detected in Asia, Africa and Europe. Recently, a novel hantavirus (Brno loanvirus, BRNV) was identified in common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula) in the Czech Republic, but nothing is known about its geographical range and prevalence. The objective of this study was to evaluate the distribution and host specificity of BRNV by testing bats from neighbouring countries Germany, Austria and Poland. One thousand forty-seven bats representing 21 species from Germany, 464 bats representing 18 species from Austria and 77 bats representing 12 species from Poland were screened by L segment broad-spectrum nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or by BRNV-specific real-time RT-PCR. Three common noctules from Germany, one common noctule from Austria and three common noctules from Poland were positive in the hantavirus RNA screening. Conventional RT-PCR and primer walking resulted in the amplification of partial L segment and (almost) complete S and M segment coding sequences for samples from Germany and partial L segment sequences for samples from Poland. Phylogenetic analysis of these nucleotide sequences showed highest similarity to BRNV from Czech Republic. The exclusive detection of BRNV in common noctules from different countries suggests high host specificity. The RNA detection rate in common noctules ranged between 1 of 207 (0.5%; Austria), 3 of 245 (1.2%; Germany) and 3 of 20 (15%; Poland). In conclusion, this study demonstrates a broader distribution of BRNV in common noctules in Central Europe, but at low to moderate prevalence. Additional studies are needed to prove the zoonotic potential of this hantavirus and evaluate its transmission within bat populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maysaa Dafalla
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Anna Orłowska
- Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research Institute, 57 Partyzantów Avenue, 24-100, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Sinan Julian Keleş
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, 1160, Vienna, Austria
| | - Petra Straková
- Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 296/70, 621 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kore Schlottau
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Kathrin Jeske
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Bernd Hoffmann
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Gudrun Wibbelt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcin Smreczak
- Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research Institute, 57 Partyzantów Avenue, 24-100, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Thomas Müller
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Conrad Martin Freuling
- Institute of Molecular Virology and Cell Biology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Xuejing Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jerzy Rola
- Department of Virology, National Veterinary Research Institute, 57 Partyzantów Avenue, 24-100, Pulawy, Poland
| | - Stephan Drewes
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Sasan Fereidouni
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, 1160, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
- Quartier Sorge - Batiment Amphipole, Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
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Mehl C, Wylezich C, Geiger C, Schauerte N, Mätz-Rensing K, Nesseler A, Höper D, Linnenbrink M, Beer M, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. Reemergence of Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Mammarenavirus, Germany. Emerg Infect Dis 2023; 29:631-634. [PMID: 36823667 PMCID: PMC9973704 DOI: 10.3201/eid2903.221822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Lymphocytic choriomeningitis mammarenavirus (LCMV) is a globally distributed zoonotic pathogen transmitted by house mice (Mus musculus). We report the reemergence of LCMV (lineages I and II) in wild house mice (Mus musculus domesticus) and LCMV lineage I in a diseased golden lion tamarin (Leontopithecus rosalia) from a zoo in Germany.
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Mehl C, Wylezich C, Geiger C, Schauerte N, Mätz-Rensing K, Nesseler A, Höper D, Linnenbrink M, Beer M, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. Use of Zoo Mice in Study of Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Mammarenavirus, Germany (Response). Emerg Infect Dis 2023; 30:205-206. [PMID: 38146988 PMCID: PMC10756383 DOI: 10.3201/eid3001.231521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2023] Open
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Jeske K, Schulz J, Tekemen D, Balčiauskas L, Balčiauskienė L, Hiltbrunner M, Drewes S, Mayer-Scholl A, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. Cocirculation of Leptospira spp. and multiple orthohantaviruses in rodents, Lithuania, Northern Europe. Transbound Emerg Dis 2022; 69:e3196-e3201. [PMID: 35119222 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 01/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In Europe, zoonotic Leptospira spp. and orthohantaviruses are mainly associated with specific rodent hosts. These pathogens cause febrile human diseases with similar symptoms and disease progression. In Lithuania, the presence of Dobrava-Belgrade orthohantavirus (DOBV), Tula orthohantavirus (TULV) and Leptospira spp. in rodent reservoirs is still unknown, and Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) was detected in bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) at only one site. Therefore, we collected and screened 1617 rodents and insectivores from Lithuania for zoonotic (re-)emerging Leptospira and orthohantaviruses. We detected Leptospira DNA in six rodent species, namely striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis), bank vole, common vole (Microtus arvalis), field vole (Microtus agrestis) and root vole (Microtus oeconomus). Leptospira DNA was detected with an overall mean prevalence of 4.4% (range 3.7%-7.9% per rodent species). We detected DOBV RNA in 5.6% of the striped field mice, PUUV RNA in 1% of bank voles and TULV RNA in 4.6% of common voles, but no Leptospira DNA in shrews and no hantavirus-Leptospira coinfections in rodents. Based on the complete coding sequences of the three genome segments, two distant DOBV phylogenetic lineages in striped field mice, one PUUV strain in bank voles and two TULV strains in common voles were identified. The Leptospira prevalence for striped field mice and yellow-necked mice indicated a significant negative effect of the distance to water points. The detection of (re-)emerging human pathogenic Leptospira and three orthohantaviruses in rodent reservoirs in Lithuania calls for increased awareness of public health institutions and allows the improvement of molecular diagnostics for pathogen identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Jeske
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Jana Schulz
- Institute of Epidemiology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Duygu Tekemen
- Department for Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Stephan Drewes
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Anne Mayer-Scholl
- Department for Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Genopode, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
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Eccard JA, Herde A, Schuster AC, Liesenjohann T, Knopp T, Heckel G, Dammhahn M. Fitness, risk taking, and spatial behavior covary with boldness in experimental vole populations. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8521. [PMID: 35154645 PMCID: PMC8829380 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals of a population may vary along a pace-of-life syndrome from highly fecund, short-lived, bold, dispersive "fast" types at one end of the spectrum to less fecund, long-lived, shy, plastic "slow" types at the other end. Risk-taking behavior might mediate the underlying life history trade-off, but empirical evidence supporting this hypothesis is still ambiguous. Using experimentally created populations of common voles (Microtus arvalis)-a species with distinct seasonal life history trajectories-we aimed to test whether individual differences in boldness behavior covary with risk taking, space use, and fitness. We quantified risk taking, space use (via automated tracking), survival, and reproductive success (via genetic parentage analysis) in 8 to 14 experimental, mixed-sex populations of 113 common voles of known boldness type in large grassland enclosures over a significant part of their adult life span and two reproductive events. Populations were assorted to contain extreme boldness types (bold or shy) of both sexes. Bolder individuals took more risks than shyer ones, which did not affect survival. Bolder males but not females produced more offspring than shy conspecifics. Daily home range and core area sizes, based on 95% and 50% Kernel density estimates (20 ± 10 per individual, n = 54 individuals), were highly repeatable over time. Individual space use unfolded differently for sex-boldness type combinations over the course of the experiment. While day ranges decreased for shy females, they increased for bold females and all males. Space use trajectories may, hence, indicate differences in coping styles when confronted with a novel social and physical environment. Thus, interindividual differences in boldness predict risk taking under near-natural conditions and have consequences for fitness in males, which have a higher reproductive potential than females. Given extreme inter- and intra-annual fluctuations in population density in the study species and its short life span, density-dependent fluctuating selection operating differently on the sexes might maintain (co)variation in boldness, risk taking, and pace-of-life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana A Eccard
- Animal Ecology Institute of Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Potsdam Germany
| | - Antje Herde
- Animal Ecology Institute of Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Potsdam Germany
- Animal Behaviour Faculty of Biology University of Bielefeld Bielefeld Germany
| | - Andrea C Schuster
- Animal Ecology Institute of Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Potsdam Germany
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Bern Switzerland
| | - Thilo Liesenjohann
- Animal Ecology Institute of Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Potsdam Germany
- BioConsult SH GmbH & Co. KG Husum Germany
| | - Tatjana Knopp
- Animal Ecology Institute of Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Potsdam Germany
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Bern Switzerland
| | - Melanie Dammhahn
- Animal Ecology Institute of Biochemistry and Biology University of Potsdam Potsdam Germany
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10
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Falkenhagen A, Tausch SH, Labutin A, Grützke J, Heckel G, Ulrich RG, Johne R. OUP accepted manuscript. Virus Evol 2022; 8:veac004. [PMID: 35169491 PMCID: PMC8838746 DOI: 10.1093/ve/veac004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Species A rotaviruses (RVAs) are important aetiological agents of severe diarrhoea in young children. They are also widely distributed in mammals and birds, and increasing evidence indicates the possibility of zoonotic transmission of RVA strains between animals and humans. Moreover, reassortment of the eleven segments of the RVA genome can result in rapid biological changes and may influence pathogenic properties. Here, the nearly complete genome of an RVA strain from a common shrew (Sorex araneus) was sequenced, which showed high nucleotide sequence similarity to additionally determined partial sequences from common shrew RVAs but only very low identity (below 68 per cent) to RVAs from other animal species and humans. New genotypes were assigned to most genome segments of the novel common shrew RVA strain KS14/269, resulting in the genome constellation G39-P[55]-I27-R26-C22-M22-A37-N26-T26-E30-H26. Phylogenetic analyses clustered the common shrew RVAs as ancestral branches of other mammalian and avian RVAs for most of the genome segments, which is in contrast to the phylogeny of the hosts. Nevertheless, conserved sequences typical for all RVAs were identified at the 5ʹ- and 3ʹ- non-coding segment termini. To explore whether the common shrew RVA can exchange genetic material with other mammalian RVAs by reassortment, a reverse genetics system based on the simian RVA strain SA11 was used. However, no viable reassortants could be rescued by exchanging the VP4-, VP6-, or VP7-encoding genome segment alone or in combinations. It can be concluded that highly divergent RVAs are present in common shrews, indicating an evolution of these viruses largely separated from other mammalian and avian RVAs. The zoonotic potential of the virus seems to be low but needs to be further analysed in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Falkenhagen
- Department of Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, Berlin 10589, Germany
| | - Simon H Tausch
- Department of Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, Berlin 10589, Germany
| | - Anton Labutin
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland
| | - Josephine Grützke
- Department of Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Max-Dohrn-Str. 8-10, Berlin 10589, Germany
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
- Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (DZIF), Partner site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
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11
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Tang Q, Burri R, Liu Y, Suh A, Sundev G, Heckel G, Schweizer M. Seasonal migration patterns and the maintenance of evolutionary diversity in a cryptic bird radiation. Mol Ecol 2021; 31:632-645. [PMID: 34674334 PMCID: PMC9298432 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Morphological differentiation associated with evolutionary diversification is often explained with adaptive benefits but the processes and mechanisms maintaining cryptic diversity are still poorly understood. Using genome‐wide data, we show here that the pale sand martin Riparia diluta in Central and East Asia consists of three genetically deeply differentiated lineages which vary only gradually in morphology but broadly reflect traditional taxonomy. We detected no signs of gene flow along the eastern edge of the Qinghai‐Tibetan plateau between lowland south‐eastern Chinese R. d. fohkienensis and high‐altitude R. d. tibetana. Largely different breeding and migration timing between these low and high altitude populations as indicated by phenology data suggests that allochrony might act as prezygotic isolation mechanism in the area where their ranges abut. Mongolian populations of R. d. tibetana, however, displayed signs of limited mixed ancestries with Central Asian R. d. diluta. Their ranges meet in the area of a well‐known avian migratory divide, where western lineages take a western migration route around the Qinghai‐Tibetan plateau to winter quarters in South Asia, and eastern lineages take an eastern route to Southeast Asia. This might also be the case between western R. d. diluta and eastern R. d. tibetana as indicated by differing wintering grounds. We hypothesize that hybrids might have nonoptimal intermediate migration routes and selection against them might restrict gene flow. Although further potential isolation mechanisms might exist in the pale sand martin, our study points towards contrasting migration behaviour as an important factor in maintaining evolutionary diversity under morphological stasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qindong Tang
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Natural History Museum, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Reto Burri
- Schweizerische Vogelwarte, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, College of Ecology School of Life Science, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Alexander Suh
- School of Biological Sciences-Organisms and the Environment, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.,Department of Organismal Biology - Systematic Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Gombobaatar Sundev
- National University of Mongolia and Mongolian Ornithological Society, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Manuel Schweizer
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Natural History Museum, Bern, Switzerland
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12
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Saxenhofer M, Labutin A, White TA, Heckel G. Host genetic factors associated with the range limit of a European hantavirus. Mol Ecol 2021; 31:252-265. [PMID: 34614264 PMCID: PMC9298007 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The natural host ranges of many viruses are restricted to very specific taxa. Little is known about the molecular barriers between species that lead to the establishment of this restriction or generally prevent virus emergence in new hosts. Here, we identify genomic polymorphisms in a natural rodent host associated with a strong genetic barrier to the transmission of European Tula orthohantavirus (TULV). We analysed the very abrupt spatial transition between two major phylogenetic clades in TULV across the comparatively much wider natural hybrid zone between evolutionary lineages of their reservoir host, the common vole (Microtus arvalis). Genomic scans of 79,225 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 323 TULV‐infected host individuals detected 30 SNPs that were consistently associated with the TULV clades CEN.S or EST.S in two replicate sampling transects. Focusing the analysis on 199 voles with evidence of genomic admixture at the individual level (0.1–0.9) supported statistical significance for all 30 loci. Host genomic variation at these SNPs explained up to 37.6% of clade‐specific TULV infections. Genes in the vicinity of associated SNPs include SAHH, ITCH and two members of the Syngr gene family, which are involved in functions related to immune response or membrane transport. This study demonstrates the relevance of natural hybrid zones as systems not only for studying processes of evolutionary divergence and speciation, but also for the detection of evolving genetic barriers for specialized parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Saxenhofer
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge - Bâtiment Génopode, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anton Labutin
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Thomas A White
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge - Bâtiment Génopode, Lausanne, Switzerland
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13
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Duarte MA, Fernandes CR, Heckel G, da Luz Mathias M, Bastos-Silveira C. Variation and Selection in the Putative Sperm-Binding Region of ZP3 in Muroid Rodents: A Comparison between Cricetids and Murines. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12091450. [PMID: 34573431 PMCID: PMC8469249 DOI: 10.3390/genes12091450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In mammals, the zona pellucida glycoprotein 3 (ZP3) is considered a primary sperm receptor of the oocyte and is hypothesized to be involved in reproductive isolation. We investigated patterns of diversity and selection in the putative sperm-binding region (pSBR) of mouse ZP3 across Cricetidae and Murinae, two hyperdiverse taxonomic groups within muroid rodents. In murines, the pSBR is fairly conserved, in particular the serine-rich stretch containing the glycosylation sites proposed as essential for sperm binding. In contrast, cricetid amino acid sequences of the pSBR were much more variable and the serine-rich motif, typical of murines, was generally substantially modified. Overall, our results suggest a general lack of species specificity of the pSBR across the two muroid families. We document statistical evidence of positive selection acting on exons 6 and 7 of ZP3 and identified several amino acid sites that are likely targets of selection, with most positively selected sites falling within or adjacent to the pSBR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarida Alexandra Duarte
- Champalimaud Centre for the Uknown, Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, Avenida Brasília, 1400-038 Lisboa, Portugal
- Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Departamento de Zoologia e Antropologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Rua da Escola Politécnica, 58, Lisboa, 1250-102 Lisboa, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal;
- Centro de Estudos de Ambiente e Mar, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
- Correspondence:
| | - Carlos Rodríguez Fernandes
- cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal; (C.R.F.); (C.B.-S.)
- Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, 1649-013 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland;
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge-Batiment Amphipole, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Maria da Luz Mathias
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal;
- Centro de Estudos de Ambiente e Mar, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cristiane Bastos-Silveira
- cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal; (C.R.F.); (C.B.-S.)
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14
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Schneider J, Hoffmann B, Fevola C, Schmidt ML, Imholt C, Fischer S, Ecke F, Hörnfeldt B, Magnusson M, Olsson GE, Rizzoli A, Tagliapietra V, Chiari M, Reusken C, Bužan E, Kazimirova M, Stanko M, White TA, Reil D, Obiegala A, Meredith A, Drexler JF, Essbauer S, Henttonen H, Jacob J, Hauffe HC, Beer M, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. Geographical Distribution and Genetic Diversity of Bank Vole Hepaciviruses in Europe. Viruses 2021; 13:1258. [PMID: 34203238 PMCID: PMC8310187 DOI: 10.3390/v13071258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of new diagnostic methods resulted in the discovery of novel hepaciviruses in wild populations of the bank vole (Myodes glareolus, syn. Clethrionomys glareolus). The naturally infected voles demonstrate signs of hepatitis similar to those induced by hepatitis C virus (HCV) in humans. The aim of the present research was to investigate the geographical distribution of bank vole-associated hepaciviruses (BvHVs) and their genetic diversity in Europe. Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) screening revealed BvHV RNA in 442 out of 1838 (24.0%) bank voles from nine European countries and in one of seven northern red-backed voles (Myodes rutilus, syn. Clethrionomys rutilus). BvHV RNA was not found in any other small mammal species (n = 23) tested here. Phylogenetic and isolation-by-distance analyses confirmed the occurrence of both BvHV species (Hepacivirus F and Hepacivirus J) and their sympatric occurrence at several trapping sites in two countries. The broad geographical distribution of BvHVs across Europe was associated with their presence in bank voles of different evolutionary lineages. The extensive geographical distribution and high levels of genetic diversity of BvHVs, as well as the high population fluctuations of bank voles and occasional commensalism in some parts of Europe warrant future studies on the zoonotic potential of BvHVs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Schneider
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (M.L.S.); (S.F.)
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Bernd Hoffmann
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (B.H.); (M.B.)
| | - Cristina Fevola
- Research and Innovation Centre, Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, Italy; (C.F.); (A.R.); (V.T.); (H.C.H.)
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00100 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marie Luisa Schmidt
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (M.L.S.); (S.F.)
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany;
| | - Christian Imholt
- Vertebrate Research, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forests, Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI), Toppheideweg 88, 48161 Münster, Germany; (C.I.); (D.R.); (J.J.)
| | - Stefan Fischer
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (M.L.S.); (S.F.)
| | - Frauke Ecke
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 90183 Umeå, Sweden; (F.E.); (B.H.); (M.M.); (G.E.O.)
| | - Birger Hörnfeldt
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 90183 Umeå, Sweden; (F.E.); (B.H.); (M.M.); (G.E.O.)
| | - Magnus Magnusson
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 90183 Umeå, Sweden; (F.E.); (B.H.); (M.M.); (G.E.O.)
| | - Gert E. Olsson
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 90183 Umeå, Sweden; (F.E.); (B.H.); (M.M.); (G.E.O.)
- Unit for Nature Conservation, County Administrative Board of Halland County, 30004 Halmstad, Sweden
| | - Annapaola Rizzoli
- Research and Innovation Centre, Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, Italy; (C.F.); (A.R.); (V.T.); (H.C.H.)
| | - Valentina Tagliapietra
- Research and Innovation Centre, Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, Italy; (C.F.); (A.R.); (V.T.); (H.C.H.)
| | - Mario Chiari
- Direzione Generale Welfare, U.O. Veterinaria, Piazza Città di Lombardia 1, 20124 Milan, Italy;
| | - Chantal Reusken
- Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 3720 Bilthoven, The Netherlands;
| | - Elena Bužan
- Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies, University of Primorska, 6000 Koper, Slovenia;
- Environmental Protection College, 3320 Velenje, Slovenia
| | - Maria Kazimirova
- Institute of Zoology, Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), 81438 Bratislava, Slovakia;
| | - Michal Stanko
- Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 04001 Košice, Slovakia;
| | - Thomas A. White
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA2 0QZ, UK;
| | - Daniela Reil
- Vertebrate Research, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forests, Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI), Toppheideweg 88, 48161 Münster, Germany; (C.I.); (D.R.); (J.J.)
| | - Anna Obiegala
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, 04109 Leipzig, Germany;
| | - Anna Meredith
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AB, UK;
- Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Jan Felix Drexler
- Institute of Virology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany;
- Martsinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology, Tropical and Vector-Borne Diseases, Sechenov University, 119991 Moscow, Russia
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Associated Partner Site Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sandra Essbauer
- Department Virology and Rickettsiology, Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, 80937 Munich, Germany;
| | - Heikki Henttonen
- Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), 00791 Helsinki, Finland;
| | - Jens Jacob
- Vertebrate Research, Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forests, Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI), Toppheideweg 88, 48161 Münster, Germany; (C.I.); (D.R.); (J.J.)
| | - Heidi C. Hauffe
- Research and Innovation Centre, Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38098 San Michele all’Adige, Italy; (C.F.); (A.R.); (V.T.); (H.C.H.)
| | - Martin Beer
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (B.H.); (M.B.)
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland;
| | - Rainer G. Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (M.L.S.); (S.F.)
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15
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Schmidt S, Reil D, Jeske K, Drewes S, Rosenfeld UM, Fischer S, Spierling NG, Labutin A, Heckel G, Jacob J, Ulrich RG, Imholt C. Spatial and Temporal Dynamics and Molecular Evolution of Tula orthohantavirus in German Vole Populations. Viruses 2021; 13:1132. [PMID: 34208398 PMCID: PMC8231151 DOI: 10.3390/v13061132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Tula orthohantavirus (TULV) is a rodent-borne hantavirus with broad geographical distribution in Europe. Its major reservoir is the common vole (Microtus arvalis), but TULV has also been detected in closely related vole species. Given the large distributional range and high amplitude population dynamics of common voles, this host-pathogen complex presents an ideal system to study the complex mechanisms of pathogen transmission in a wild rodent reservoir. We investigated the dynamics of TULV prevalence and the subsequent potential effects on the molecular evolution of TULV in common voles of the Central evolutionary lineage. Rodents were trapped for three years in four regions of Germany and samples were analyzed for the presence of TULV-reactive antibodies and TULV RNA with subsequent sequence determination. The results show that individual (sex) and population-level factors (abundance) of hosts were significant predictors of local TULV dynamics. At the large geographic scale, different phylogenetic TULV clades and an overall isolation-by-distance pattern in virus sequences were detected, while at the small scale (<4 km) this depended on the study area. In combination with an overall delayed density dependence, our results highlight that frequent, localized bottleneck events for the common vole and TULV do occur and can be offset by local recolonization dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Schmidt
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (S.S.); (K.J.); (S.D.); (U.M.R.); (S.F.); (N.G.S.); (R.G.U.)
| | - Daniela Reil
- Animal Ecology, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, 14469 Potsdam, Germany;
| | - Kathrin Jeske
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (S.S.); (K.J.); (S.D.); (U.M.R.); (S.F.); (N.G.S.); (R.G.U.)
| | - Stephan Drewes
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (S.S.); (K.J.); (S.D.); (U.M.R.); (S.F.); (N.G.S.); (R.G.U.)
| | - Ulrike M. Rosenfeld
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (S.S.); (K.J.); (S.D.); (U.M.R.); (S.F.); (N.G.S.); (R.G.U.)
| | - Stefan Fischer
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (S.S.); (K.J.); (S.D.); (U.M.R.); (S.F.); (N.G.S.); (R.G.U.)
| | - Nastasja G. Spierling
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (S.S.); (K.J.); (S.D.); (U.M.R.); (S.F.); (N.G.S.); (R.G.U.)
| | - Anton Labutin
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; (A.L.); (G.H.)
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; (A.L.); (G.H.)
| | - Jens Jacob
- Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forests, Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI), 48161 Münster, Germany;
| | - Rainer G. Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (S.S.); (K.J.); (S.D.); (U.M.R.); (S.F.); (N.G.S.); (R.G.U.)
| | - Christian Imholt
- Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forests, Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI), 48161 Münster, Germany;
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16
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Cierniak F, von Arnim F, Heckel G, Ulrich RG, Groschup MH, Eiden M. A Putative Novel Hepatitis E Virus Genotype 3 Subtype Identified in Rabbit, Germany 2016. Viruses 2021; 13:1065. [PMID: 34205182 PMCID: PMC8228152 DOI: 10.3390/v13061065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis E is an emerging viral disease that is the leading cause of viral hepatitis in the world. The vast majority of hepatitis E cases in developed countries are caused by zoonotic genotypes 3 and 4 of hepatitis E virus (HEV) for which pig and wild boar and to lesser extent rabbits are the main reservoir. According to recent reports rabbits are a source of human HEV infection and highlight the risk of zoonotic foodborne transmission. Here we report the molecular analysis of a novel HEV strain identified in a rabbit during a countrywide surveillance of rabbits and hares in Germany, 2016. The analysis of the complete genome reveals characteristics of a putative novel recombinant subtype of the species Orthohepevirus A within the clade of genotype 3 but not closely related to any known subtypes. Importantly, the genome of this strain possesses a nucleotide exchange in the overlapping region of open reading frames ORF2/ORF3 interfering with a broadly applied diagnostic real-time RT-PCR. In conclusion, a new type of HEV strain was identified in a German rabbit with atypical and novel sequence characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Filip Cierniak
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (F.C.); (F.v.A.); (R.G.U.); (M.H.G.)
| | - Felicitas von Arnim
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (F.C.); (F.v.A.); (R.G.U.); (M.H.G.)
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland;
| | - Rainer G. Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (F.C.); (F.v.A.); (R.G.U.); (M.H.G.)
- Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (DZIF), 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Martin H. Groschup
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (F.C.); (F.v.A.); (R.G.U.); (M.H.G.)
- Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Riems, Deutsches Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (DZIF), 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Martin Eiden
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (F.C.); (F.v.A.); (R.G.U.); (M.H.G.)
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17
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Drewes S, Jeske K, Straková P, Balčiauskas L, Ryll R, Balčiauskienė L, Kohlhause D, Schnidrig GA, Hiltbrunner M, Špakova A, Insodaitė R, Petraitytė-Burneikienė R, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. Identification of a novel hantavirus strain in the root vole (Microtus oeconomus) in Lithuania, Eastern Europe. Infect Genet Evol 2021; 90:104520. [PMID: 32890767 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2020.104520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Hantaviruses are zoonotic pathogens that can cause subclinical to lethal infections in humans. In Europe, five orthohantaviruses are present in rodents: Myodes-associated Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV), Microtus-associated Tula orthohantavirus, Traemmersee hantavirus (TRAV)/ Tatenale hantavirus (TATV)/ Kielder hantavirus, rat-borne Seoul orthohantavirus, and Apodemus-associated Dobrava-Belgrade orthohantavirus (DOBV). Human PUUV and DOBV infections were detected previously in Lithuania, but the presence of Microtus-associated hantaviruses is not known. For this study we screened 234 Microtus voles, including root voles (Microtus oeconomus), field voles (Microtus agrestis) and common voles (Microtus arvalis) from Lithuania for hantavirus infections. This initial screening was based on reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) targeting the S segment and serological analysis. A novel hantavirus was detected in eight of 79 root voles tentatively named "Rusne virus" according to the capture location and complete genome sequences were determined. In the coding regions of all three genome segments, Rusne virus showed high sequence similarity to TRAV and TATV and clustered with Kielder hantavirus in phylogenetic analyses of partial S and L segment sequences. Pairwise evolutionary distance analysis confirmed Rusne virus as a strain of the species TRAV/TATV. Moreover, we synthesized the entire nucleocapsid (N) protein of Rusne virus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We observed cross-reactivity of antibodies raised against other hantaviruses, including PUUV, with this new N protein. ELISA investigation of all 234 voles detected Rusne virus-reactive antibodies exclusively in four of 79 root voles, all being also RNA positive, but not in any other vole species. In conclusion, the detection of Rusne virus RNA in multiple root voles at the same trapping site during three years and its absence in sympatric field voles suggests root voles as the reservoir host of this novel virus. Future investigations should evaluate host association of TRAV, TATV, Kielder virus and the novel Rusne virus and their evolutionary relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Drewes
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Kathrin Jeske
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Petra Straková
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; Department of Virology, Veterinary Research Institute, Hudcova 70, 62100 Brno, Czech Republic
| | | | - René Ryll
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | | | - David Kohlhause
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; University Greifswald, Domstraße 11, 17498 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Guy-Alain Schnidrig
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Melanie Hiltbrunner
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Aliona Špakova
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio al. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Rasa Insodaitė
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio al. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Rasa Petraitytė-Burneikienė
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio al. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
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Li HS, Huang YH, Chen ML, Ren Z, Qiu BY, De Clercq P, Heckel G, Pang H. Genomic insight into diet adaptation in the biological control agent Cryptolaemus montrouzieri. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:135. [PMID: 33632122 PMCID: PMC7905881 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07442-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ladybird beetle Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant, 1853 (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) is used worldwide as a biological control agent. It is a predator of various mealybug pests, but it also feeds on alternative prey and can be reared on artificial diets. Relatively little is known about the underlying genetic adaptations of its feeding habits. RESULTS We report the first high-quality genome sequence for C. montrouzieri. We found that the gene families encoding chemosensors and digestive and detoxifying enzymes among others were significantly expanded or contracted in C. montrouzieri in comparison to published genomes of other beetles. Comparisons of diet-specific larval development, survival and transcriptome profiling demonstrated that differentially expressed genes on unnatural diets as compared to natural prey were enriched in pathways of nutrient metabolism, indicating that the lower performance on the tested diets was caused by nutritional deficiencies. Remarkably, the C. montrouzieri genome also showed a significant expansion in an immune effector gene family. Some of the immune effector genes were dramatically downregulated when larvae were fed unnatural diets. CONCLUSION We suggest that the evolution of genes related to chemosensing, digestion, and detoxification but also immunity might be associated with diet adaptation of an insect predator. These findings help explain why this predatory ladybird has become a successful biological control agent and will enable the optimization of its mass rearing and use in biological control programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Sen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yu-Hao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Mei-Lan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.,School of Environment and Life Science, Nanning Normal University, Nanning, 530001, China
| | - Zhan Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Bo-Yuan Qiu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Patrick De Clercq
- Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Hong Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences / School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
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19
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Jeske K, Herzig-Straschil B, Răileanu C, Kunec D, Tauchmann O, Emirhar D, Schmidt S, Trimpert J, Silaghi C, Heckel G, Ulrich RG, Drewes S. Zoonotic pathogen screening of striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius) from Austria. Transbound Emerg Dis 2021; 69:886-890. [PMID: 33534959 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) is known to carry several zoonotic pathogens, including Leptospira spp. and Dobrava-Belgrade orthohantavirus (DOBV). Since its first detection in 1996 in south-east Austria, the striped field mouse has further expanded its range in Austria. Here, we screened 35 striped field mice collected in an Austrian region near the Hungarian border for DOBV, Leptospira spp. and seven vector-borne pathogens. Hantavirus RT-PCR screening and DOBV IgG ELISA analysis led to the detection of two DOBV-positive striped field mice. The complete coding sequences of all three genome segments of both strains were determined by a combination of target enrichment and next-generation sequencing. Both complete coding S segment sequences clustered within the DOBV genotype Kurkino clade with the highest similarity to a sequence from Hungary. In one of 35 striped field mice, Leptospira borgpetersenii sequence type (ST) 146 was detected. Bartonella spp., Borrelia miyamotoi and Neoehrlichia mikurensis DNA was detected in four, one and two of 32 mice, respectively. Babesia, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia and Rickettsia specific DNA was not detected. Future investigations will have to determine the prevalence and invasion of these pathogens with the ongoing range expansion of the striped field mouse in Austria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Jeske
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.,Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | | | - Cristian Răileanu
- Institute of Infectology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Dusan Kunec
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Virology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Oliver Tauchmann
- Institute of Infectology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Duygu Emirhar
- Department for Biological Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sabrina Schmidt
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.,German Society of Tissue Transplantation, Essen, Germany
| | - Jakob Trimpert
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Virology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Cornelia Silaghi
- Institute of Infectology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Stephan Drewes
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
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20
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Hiltbrunner M, Heckel G. Assessing Genome-Wide Diversity in European Hantaviruses through Sequence Capture from Natural Host Samples. Viruses 2020; 12:v12070749. [PMID: 32664593 PMCID: PMC7412162 DOI: 10.3390/v12070749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on the ecology and evolution of viruses is often hampered by the limitation of sequence information to short parts of the genomes or single genomes derived from cultures. In this study, we use hybrid sequence capture enrichment in combination with high-throughput sequencing to provide efficient access to full genomes of European hantaviruses from rodent samples obtained in the field. We applied this methodology to Tula (TULV) and Puumala (PUUV) orthohantaviruses for which analyses from natural host samples are typically restricted to partial sequences of their tri-segmented RNA genome. We assembled a total of ten novel hantavirus genomes de novo with very high coverage (on average >99%) and sequencing depth (average >247×). A comparison with partial Sanger sequences indicated an accuracy of >99.9% for the assemblies. An analysis of two common vole (Microtus arvalis) samples infected with two TULV strains each allowed for the de novo assembly of all four TULV genomes. Combining the novel sequences with all available TULV and PUUV genomes revealed very similar patterns of sequence diversity along the genomes, except for remarkably higher diversity in the non-coding region of the S-segment in PUUV. The genomic distribution of polymorphisms in the coding sequence was similar between the species, but differed between the segments with the highest sequence divergence of 0.274 for the M-segment, 0.265 for the S-segment, and 0.248 for the L-segment (overall 0.258). Phylogenetic analyses showed the clustering of genome sequences consistent with their geographic distribution within each species. Genome-wide data yielded extremely high node support values, despite the impact of strong mutational saturation that is expected for hantavirus sequences obtained over large spatial distances. We conclude that genome sequencing based on capture enrichment protocols provides an efficient means for ecological and evolutionary investigations of hantaviruses at an unprecedented completeness and depth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Hiltbrunner
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland;
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland;
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Correspondence:
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21
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Jeske K, Hiltbrunner M, Drewes S, Ryll R, Wenk M, Špakova A, Petraitytė-Burneikienė R, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. Field vole-associated Traemmersee hantavirus from Germany represents a novel hantavirus species. Virus Genes 2019; 55:848-853. [PMID: 31573059 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-019-01706-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Vole-associated hantaviruses occur in the Old and New World. Tula orthohantavirus (TULV) is widely distributed throughout the European continent in its reservoir, the common vole (Microtus arvalis), but the virus was also frequently detected in field voles (Microtus agrestis) and other vole species. TULV and common voles are absent from Great Britain. However, field voles there harbor Tatenale and Kielder hantaviruses. Here we screened 126 field voles and 13 common voles from Brandenburg, Germany, for hantavirus infections. One common vole and four field voles were anti-TULV antibody and/or TULV RNA positive. In one additional, seropositive field vole a novel hantavirus sequence was detected. The partial S and L segment nucleotide sequences were only 61.1% and 75.6% identical to sympatrically occurring TULV sequences, but showed highest similarity of approximately 80% to British Tatenale and Kielder hantaviruses. Subsequent determination of the entire nucleocapsid (N), glycoprotein (GPC), and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase encoding sequences and determination of the pairwise evolutionary distance (PED) value for the concatenated N and GPC amino acid sequences confirmed a novel orthohantavirus species, tentatively named Traemmersee orthohantavirus. The identification of this novel hantavirus in a field vole from eastern Germany underlines the necessity of a large-scale, broad geographical hantavirus screening of voles to understand evolutionary processes of virus-host associations and host switches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Jeske
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Melanie Hiltbrunner
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Drewes
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - René Ryll
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Matthias Wenk
- Landesbetrieb Forst Brandenburg, Fachbereich 4.3 Waldschutz, A.-Möller-Str. 1, 16225, Eberswalde, Germany
| | - Aliona Špakova
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio al. 7, 10257, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Rasa Petraitytė-Burneikienė
- Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio al. 7, 10257, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Genopode, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
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22
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Ryll R, Heckel G, Corman VM, Drexler JF, Ulrich RG. Genomic and spatial variability of a European common vole hepevirus. Arch Virol 2019; 164:2671-2682. [PMID: 31399875 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-019-04347-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Rodents host different orthohepeviruses, namely orthohepevirus C genotype HEV-C1 (rat hepatitis E virus, HEV) and the additional putative genotypes HEV-C3 and HEV-C4. Here, we screened 2,961 rodents from Central Europe by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and identified HEV RNA in 13 common voles (Microtus arvalis) and one bank vole (Myodes glareolus) with detection rates of 2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1-3.4) and 0.08% (95% CI: 0.002-0.46), respectively. Sequencing of a 279-nucleotide RT-PCR amplicon corresponding to a region within open reading frame (ORF) 1 showed a high degree of similarity to recently described common vole-associated HEV (cvHEV) sequences from Hungary. Five novel complete cvHEV genome sequences from Central Europe showed the typical HEV genome organization with ORF1, ORF2 and ORF3 and RNA secondary structure. Uncommon features included a noncanonical start codon in ORF3, multiple insertions and deletions within ORF1 and ORF2/ORF3, and the absence of a putative ORF4. Phylogenetic analysis showed all of the novel cvHEV sequences to be monophyletic, clustering most closely with an unassigned bird-derived sequence and other sequences of the species Orthohepevirus C. The nucleotide and amino acid sequence divergence of the common vole-derived sequences was significantly correlated with the spatial distance between the trapping sites, indicating mostly local evolutionary processes. Detection of closely related HEV sequences in common voles in multiple localities over a distance of 800 kilometers suggested that common voles are infected by cvHEV across broad geographic distances. The common vole-associated HEV strain is clearly divergent from HEV sequences recently found in narrow-headed voles (Microtus gregalis) and other cricetid rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- René Ryll
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Gerald Heckel
- University of Bern, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Bern, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, Batiment Genopode, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Victor M Corman
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Campus Charité Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10098, Berlin, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Associated Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan Felix Drexler
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Virology, Campus Charité Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10098, Berlin, Germany. .,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Associated Partner Site Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany. .,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Lübeck-Borstel-Insel Riems, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
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23
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Wang X, Que P, Heckel G, Hu J, Zhang X, Chiang CY, Zhang N, Huang Q, Liu S, Martinez J, Pagani-Núñez E, Dingle C, Leung YY, Székely T, Zhang Z, Liu Y. Genetic, phenotypic and ecological differentiation suggests incipient speciation in two Charadrius plovers along the Chinese coast. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:135. [PMID: 31248363 PMCID: PMC6598359 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1449-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Speciation with gene flow is an alternative to the nascence of new taxa in strict allopatric separation. Indeed, many taxa have parapatric distributions at present. It is often unclear if these are secondary contacts, e.g. caused by past glaciation cycles or the manifestation of speciation with gene flow, which hampers our understanding of how different forces drive diversification. Here we studied genetic, phenotypic and ecological aspects of divergence in a pair of incipient shorebird species, the Kentish (Charadrius alexandrinus) and the White-faced Plovers (C. dealbatus), shorebirds with parapatric breeding ranges along the Chinese coast. We assessed divergence based on molecular markers with different modes of inheritance and quantified phenotypic and ecological divergence in aspects of morphometric, dietary and climatic niches. Results Our integrative analyses revealed small to moderate levels of genetic and phenotypic distinctiveness with symmetric gene flow across the contact area at the Chinese coast. The two species diverged approximately half a million years ago in dynamic isolation with secondary contact occurring due to cycling sea level changes between the Eastern and Southern China Sea in the mid-late Pleistocene. We found evidence of character displacement and ecological niche differentiation between the two species, invoking the role of selection in facilitating divergence despite gene flow. Conclusion These findings imply that ecology can indeed counter gene flow through divergent selection and thus contributes to incipient speciation in these plovers. Furthermore, our study highlights the importance of using integrative datasets to reveal the evolutionary history and assist the inference of mechanisms of speciation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-019-1449-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejing Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.,Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Pinjia Que
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Genopode, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Junhua Hu
- Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xuecong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Chung-Yu Chiang
- Department of Environmental Science, Tunhai University, Taichun, Taiwan
| | - Nan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Qin Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Simin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | | | - Emilio Pagani-Núñez
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Caroline Dingle
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Yu Yan Leung
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China
| | - Tamás Székely
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.,Milner Center for Evolution, Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath, BA1 7AY, UK
| | - Zhengwang Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Department of Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China.
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24
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Li H, Heckel G, Huang Y, Fan W, Ślipiński A, Pang H. Genomic changes in the biological control agent Cryptolaemus montrouzieri associated with introduction. Evol Appl 2019; 12:989-1000. [PMID: 31080510 PMCID: PMC6503826 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Revised: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Biological control is the main purpose of intentionally introducing non-native invertebrate species. The evolutionary changes that occur in the populations of the introduced biological control agents may determine the agent's efficiency and the environmental safety. Here, to explore the pattern and extent of potential genomic changes in the worldwide introduced predatory ladybird beetle Cryptolaemus montrouzieri, we used a reduced-representation sequencing method to analyze the genome-wide differentiation of the samples from two native and five introduced locations. Our analyses based on a total of 53,032 single nucleotide polymorphism loci showed that beetles from the introduced locations in Asia and Europe exhibited significant reductions in genetic diversity and high differentiation compared with the samples from the native Australian range. Each introduced population belonged to a unique genetic cluster, while the beetles from two native locations were much more similar. These genomic patterns were also detected when the dataset was pruned for genomic outlier loci (52,318 SNPs remaining), suggesting that random genetic drift was the main force shaping the genetic diversity and population structure of this biological control agent. Our results provide a genome-wide characterization of polymorphisms in a biological control agent and reveal genomic differences that were influenced by the introduction history. These differences might complicate assessments of the efficiency of biological control and the invasion potential of this species but also indicate the feasibility of selective breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao‐Sen Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongChina
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Yu‐Hao Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongChina
| | - Wei‐Jian Fan
- College of Life SciencesTianjin Normal UniversityTianjinChina
| | - Adam Ślipiński
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongChina
- Australian National Insect Collection, National Research CollectionsCSIROCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Hong Pang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Ecology and Evolution, School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐sen UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongChina
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25
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Saxenhofer M, Schmidt S, Ulrich RG, Heckel G. Secondary contact between diverged host lineages entails ecological speciation in a European hantavirus. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000142. [PMID: 30785873 PMCID: PMC6382107 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The diversity of viruses probably exceeds biodiversity of eukaryotes, but little is known about the origin and emergence of novel virus species. Experimentation and disease outbreak investigations have allowed the characterization of rapid molecular virus adaptation. However, the processes leading to the establishment of functionally distinct virus taxa in nature remain obscure. Here, we demonstrate that incipient speciation in a natural host species has generated distinct ecological niches leading to adaptive isolation in an RNA virus. We found a very strong association between the distributions of two major phylogenetic clades in Tula orthohantavirus (TULV) and the rodent host lineages in a natural hybrid zone of the European common vole (Microtus arvalis). The spatial transition between the virus clades in replicated geographic clines is at least eight times narrower than between the hybridizing host lineages. This suggests a strong barrier for effective virus transmission despite frequent dispersal and gene flow among local host populations, and translates to a complete turnover of the adaptive background of TULV within a few hundred meters in the open, unobstructed landscape. Genetic differences between TULV clades are homogenously distributed in the genomes and mostly synonymous (93.1%), except for a cluster of nonsynonymous changes in the 5′ region of the viral envelope glycoprotein gene, potentially involved in host-driven isolation. Evolutionary relationships between TULV clades indicate an emergence of these viruses through rapid differential adaptation to the previously diverged host lineages that resulted in levels of ecological isolation exceeding the progress of speciation in their vertebrate hosts. Like host, like virus; analysis of a natural hybrid zone in the European common vole reveals speciation processes in Tula hantaviruses triggered by evolutionary divergence in the rodent host lineages. Natural biodiversity is driven by stochastic processes and evolutionary adaptation to ecological niches. In viruses, adaptation to specific hosts may cause diversification and eventually lead to the emergence of novel viruses. Here, we studied diversity in Tula orthohantavirus (TULV) in relation to evolutionary divergence in its natural rodent host, the European common vole (Microtus arvalis). In a geographical region in which two distinct evolutionary lineages in the common vole interact and interbreed (a hybrid zone), we found two substantially different TULV clades. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the divergence among virus clades was likely triggered by a shift of an ancestral virus between the previously diverged host lineages in the hybrid zone. The strong association between virus clades and host lineages at a fine geographical scale results in effective separation of TULVs, despite incomplete reproductive isolation and frequent gene flow among local host populations. Virus genome sequences pointed to the amino-terminal part of the envelope protein as an important region for functional differentiation among these virus clades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Saxenhofer
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, Bâtiment Génopode, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sabrina Schmidt
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Rainer G. Ulrich
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge, Bâtiment Génopode, Lausanne, Switzerland
- * E-mail:
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26
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Bize P, Lowe I, Lehto Hürlimann M, Heckel G. Effects of the Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genomes on Nonshivering Thermogenesis in a Wild Derived Rodent. Integr Comp Biol 2018; 58:532-543. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Pierre Bize
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, AB24 2TZ Aberdeen, UK
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Imogen Lowe
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, AB24 2TZ Aberdeen, UK
| | - Mikko Lehto Hürlimann
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 6, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
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27
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Zemanova MA, Broennimann O, Guisan A, Knop E, Heckel G. Slimy invasion: Climatic niche and current and future biogeography of Arion
slug invaders. DIVERS DISTRIB 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Miriam A. Zemanova
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics Group; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Community Ecology Group; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
| | - Olivier Broennimann
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
- Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Antoine Guisan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
- Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics; University of Lausanne; Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Eva Knop
- Community Ecology Group; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics Group; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Bern Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics; Lausanne Switzerland
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28
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Ryll R, Eiden M, Heuser E, Weinhardt M, Ziege M, Höper D, Groschup MH, Heckel G, Johne R, Ulrich RG. Hepatitis E virus in feral rabbits along a rural-urban transect in Central Germany. Infect Genet Evol 2018; 61:155-159. [PMID: 29597055 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2018.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Revised: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Rabbit associated genotype 3 hepatitis E virus (HEV) strains were detected in feral, pet and farm rabbits in different parts of the world since 2009 and recently also in human patients. Here, we report a serological and molecular survey on 72 feral rabbits, collected along a rural-urban transect in and next to Frankfurt am Main, Central Germany. ELISA investigations revealed in 25 of 72 (34.7%) animals HEV-specific antibodies. HEV derived RNA was detected in 18 of 72 (25%) animals by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay. The complete genomes from two rabbitHEV-strains, one from a rural site and the other from an inner-city area, were generated by a combination of high-throughput sequencing, a primer walking approach and 5'- and 3'- rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Phylogenetic analysis of open reading frame (ORF)1-derived partial and complete ORF1/ORF2 concatenated coding sequences indicated their similarity to rabbit-associated HEV strains. The partial sequences revealed one cluster of closely-related rabbitHEV sequences from the urban trapping sites that is well separated from several clusters representing rabbitHEV sequences from rural trapping sites. The complete genome sequences of the two novel strains indicated similarities of 75.6-86.4% to the other 17 rabbitHEV sequences; the amino acid sequence identity of the concatenated ORF1/ORF2-encoded proteins reached 89.0-93.1%. The detection of rabbitHEV in an inner-city area with a high human population density suggests a high risk of potential human infection with the zoonotic rabbitHEV, either by direct or indirect contact with infected animals. Therefore, future investigations on the occurrence and frequency of human infections with rabbitHEV are warranted in populations with different contact to rabbits.
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Affiliation(s)
- René Ryll
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Martin Eiden
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Elisa Heuser
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Markus Weinhardt
- Department of Zoology, State Museum of Natural History, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Madlen Ziege
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany; University of Potsdam, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Potsdam (Golm), Germany
| | - Dirk Höper
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Martin H Groschup
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Gerald Heckel
- University of Bern, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Bern, Switzerland; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge - Batiment Genopode, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Reimar Johne
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Insel Riems, Germany.
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29
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Drewes S, Ali HS, Saxenhofer M, Rosenfeld UM, Binder F, Cuypers F, Schlegel M, Röhrs S, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. Host-Associated Absence of Human Puumala Virus Infections in Northern and Eastern Germany. Emerg Infect Dis 2018; 23:83-86. [PMID: 27983499 PMCID: PMC5176216 DOI: 10.3201/eid2301.160224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Human hantavirus disease cases, caused by Puumala virus (PUUV), are mainly recorded in western and southern areas of Germany. This bank vole reservoir survey confirmed PUUV presence in these regions but its absence in northern and eastern regions. PUUV occurrence is associated with the presence of the Western bank vole phylogroup.
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30
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Schmid S, Neuenschwander S, Pitteloud C, Heckel G, Pajkovic M, Arlettaz R, Alvarez N. Spatial and temporal genetic dynamics of the grasshopper Oedaleus decorus revealed by museum genomics. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:1480-1495. [PMID: 29435226 PMCID: PMC5792620 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2017] [Revised: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Analyzing genetic variation through time and space is important to identify key evolutionary and ecological processes in populations. However, using contemporary genetic data to infer the dynamics of genetic diversity may be at risk of a bias, as inferences are performed from a set of extant populations, setting aside unavailable, rare, or now extinct lineages. Here, we took advantage of new developments in next-generation sequencing to analyze the spatial and temporal genetic dynamics of the grasshopper Oedaleus decorus, a steppic Southwestern-Palearctic species. We applied a recently developed hybridization capture (hyRAD) protocol that allows retrieving orthologous sequences even from degraded DNA characteristic of museum specimens. We identified single nucleotide polymorphisms in 68 historical and 51 modern samples in order to (i) unravel the spatial genetic structure across part of the species distribution and (ii) assess the loss of genetic diversity over the past century in Swiss populations. Our results revealed (i) the presence of three potential glacial refugia spread across the European continent and converging spatially in the Alpine area. In addition, and despite a limited population sample size, our results indicate (ii) a loss of allelic richness in contemporary Swiss populations compared to historical populations, whereas levels of expected heterozygosities were not significantly different. This observation is compatible with an increase in the bottleneck magnitude experienced by central European populations of O. decorus following human-mediated land-use change impacting steppic habitats. Our results confirm that application of hyRAD to museum samples produces valuable information to study genetic processes across time and space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Schmid
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | | | - Camille Pitteloud
- Department of Environmental Systems ScienceEidgenössische Technische Hochschule ZürichZürichSwitzerland
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Mila Pajkovic
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
| | - Raphaël Arlettaz
- Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Nadir Alvarez
- Department of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of LausanneLausanneSwitzerland
- Natural History Museum of GenevaGenevaSwitzerland
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31
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Saxenhofer M, Weber de Melo V, Ulrich RG, Heckel G. Revised time scales of RNA virus evolution based on spatial information. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.0857. [PMID: 28794221 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The time scales of pathogen evolution are of major concern in the context of public and veterinary health, epidemiology and evolutionary biology. Dating the emergence of a pathogen often relies on estimates of evolutionary rates derived from nucleotide sequence data. For many viruses, this has yielded estimates of evolutionary origins only a few hundred years in the past. Here we demonstrate through the incorporation of geographical information from virus sampling that evolutionary age estimates of two European hantaviruses are severely underestimated because of pervasive mutational saturation of nucleotide sequences. We detected very strong relationships between spatial distance and genetic divergence for both Puumala and Tula hantavirus-irrespective of whether nucleotide or derived amino acid sequences were analysed. Extrapolations from these relationships dated the emergence of these viruses most conservatively to at least 3700 and 2500 years ago, respectively. Our minimum estimates for the age of these hantaviruses are ten to a hundred times older than results from current non-spatial methods, and in much better accordance with the biogeography of these viruses and their respective hosts. Spatial information can thus provide valuable insights on the deeper time scales of pathogen evolution and improve our understanding of disease emergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Saxenhofer
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge-Bâtiment Génopode, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Vanessa Weber de Melo
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland .,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Quartier Sorge-Bâtiment Génopode, Lausanne, Switzerland
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32
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Rosenfeld UM, Drewes S, Ali HS, Sadowska ET, Mikowska M, Heckel G, Koteja P, Ulrich RG. A highly divergent Puumala virus lineage in southern Poland. Arch Virol 2017; 162:1177-1185. [PMID: 28093611 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-016-3200-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Puumala virus (PUUV) represents one of the most important hantaviruses in Central Europe. Phylogenetic analyses of PUUV strains indicate a strong genetic structuring of this hantavirus. Recently, PUUV sequences were identified in the natural reservoir, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus), collected in the northern part of Poland. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of PUUV in bank voles from southern Poland. A total of 72 bank voles were trapped in 2009 at six sites in this part of Poland. RT-PCR and IgG-ELISA analyses detected three PUUV positive voles at one trapping site. The PUUV-infected animals were identified by cytochrome b gene analysis to belong to the Carpathian and Eastern evolutionary lineages of bank vole. The novel PUUV S, M and L segment nucleotide sequences showed the closest similarity to sequences of the Russian PUUV lineage from Latvia, but were highly divergent to those previously found in northern Poland, Slovakia and Austria. In conclusion, the detection of a highly divergent PUUV lineage in southern Poland indicates the necessity of further bank vole monitoring in this region allowing rational public health measures to prevent human infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike M Rosenfeld
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems, 17493, Germany
| | - Stephan Drewes
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems, 17493, Germany
| | - Hanan Sheikh Ali
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems, 17493, Germany
| | - Edyta T Sadowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, 30-387, Poland
| | - Magdalena Mikowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, 30-387, Poland
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics (CMPG), Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, CH-3012, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Genopode, Lausanne, CH-1015, Switzerland
| | - Paweł Koteja
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, 30-387, Poland
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems, 17493, Germany.
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33
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Zemanova MA, Knop E, Heckel G. Phylogeographic past and invasive presence ofArionpest slugs in Europe. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:5747-5764. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.13860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Revised: 08/24/2016] [Accepted: 09/02/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Miriam A. Zemanova
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Baltzerstrasse 6 CH-3012 Bern Switzerland
- Community Ecology Group; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Baltzerstrasse 6 CH-3012 Bern Switzerland
| | - Eva Knop
- Community Ecology Group; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Baltzerstrasse 6 CH-3012 Bern Switzerland
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; Baltzerstrasse 6 CH-3012 Bern Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics; Genopode; CH-1015 Lausanne Switzerland
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34
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Schmidt S, Saxenhofer M, Drewes S, Schlegel M, Wanka KM, Frank R, Klimpel S, von Blanckenhagen F, Maaz D, Herden C, Freise J, Wolf R, Stubbe M, Borkenhagen P, Ansorge H, Eccard JA, Lang J, Jourdain E, Jacob J, Marianneau P, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. High genetic structuring of Tula hantavirus. Arch Virol 2016; 161:1135-49. [PMID: 26831932 DOI: 10.1007/s00705-016-2762-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2015] [Accepted: 01/14/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Tula virus (TULV) is a vole-associated hantavirus with low or no pathogenicity to humans. In the present study, 686 common voles (Microtus arvalis), 249 field voles (Microtus agrestis) and 30 water voles (Arvicola spec.) were collected at 79 sites in Germany, Luxembourg and France and screened by RT-PCR and TULV-IgG ELISA. TULV-specific RNA and/or antibodies were detected at 43 of the sites, demonstrating a geographically widespread distribution of the virus in the studied area. The TULV prevalence in common voles (16.7 %) was higher than that in field voles (9.2 %) and water voles (10.0 %). Time series data at ten trapping sites showed evidence of a lasting presence of TULV RNA within common vole populations for up to 34 months, although usually at low prevalence. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated a strong genetic structuring of TULV sequences according to geography and independent of the rodent species, confirming the common vole as the preferential host, with spillover infections to co-occurring field and water voles. TULV phylogenetic clades showed a general association with evolutionary lineages in the common vole as assessed by mitochondrial DNA sequences on a large geographical scale, but with local-scale discrepancies in the contact areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Schmidt
- Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, OIE Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Suedufer 10, 17493, Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Moritz Saxenhofer
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics (CMPG), Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Genopode, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Drewes
- Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, OIE Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Suedufer 10, 17493, Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Mathias Schlegel
- Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, OIE Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Suedufer 10, 17493, Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany.,Seramun Diagnostica GmbH, 15754, Heidesee, Germany
| | - Konrad M Wanka
- Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, OIE Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Suedufer 10, 17493, Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Raphael Frank
- Goethe-University, Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Sven Klimpel
- Goethe-University, Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | - Denny Maaz
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, 14163, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christiane Herden
- Institute for Veterinary Pathology, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, 35392, Gießen, Germany
| | - Jona Freise
- Task-Force Veterinärwesen, Fachbereich Schädlingsbekämpfung, Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit, 26133, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Ronny Wolf
- Institute for Biology, University of Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Michael Stubbe
- Institute of Zoology, Martin-Luther-University Halle, 06099, Halle, Germany
| | - Peter Borkenhagen
- Säugetierkundliche Arbeitsgemeinschaft Schleswig-Holstein, 24253, Probsteierhagen, Germany
| | - Hermann Ansorge
- Senckenberg Museum of Natural History, 02826, Görlitz, Germany
| | - Jana A Eccard
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Animal Ecology, University of Potsdam, 14469, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Johannes Lang
- Institut für Tierökologie und Naturbildung, Hauptstraße 30, 35321, Gonterskirchen, Germany
| | - Elsa Jourdain
- INRA, French National Institute for Agricultural Research, UR0346 Animal Epidemiology Unit, Saint-Genès Champanelle, France
| | - Jens Jacob
- Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forestry, Vertebrate Research, Julius Kühn-Institute, 48161, Münster, Germany
| | - Philippe Marianneau
- Virology Unit, Laboratory of Lyon, French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), 69364, Lyon, France
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics (CMPG), Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012, Bern, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Genopode, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, OIE Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Suedufer 10, 17493, Greifswald, Insel Riems, Germany.
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35
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Beysard M, Krebs-Wheaton R, Heckel G. Tracing reinforcement through asymmetrical partner preference in the European common vole Microtus arvalis. BMC Evol Biol 2015; 15:170. [PMID: 26303785 PMCID: PMC4548911 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-015-0455-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The mechanistic basis of speciation and in particular the contribution of behaviour to the completion of the speciation process is often contentious. Contact zones between related taxa provide a situation where selection against hybridization might reinforce separation by behavioural mechanisms, which could ultimately fully isolate the taxa. One of the most abundant European mammals, the common vole Microtus arvalis, forms multiple natural hybrid zones where rapidly diverging evolutionary lineages meet in secondary contact. Very narrow zones of hybridization spanning only a few kilometres and sex-specific gene flow patterns indicate reduced fitness of natural hybrids and incipient speciation between some of the evolutionary lineages. In this study, we examined the contribution of behavioural mechanisms to the speciation process in these rodents by fine-mapping allopatric and parapatric populations in the hybrid zone between the Western and Central lineages and experimental testing of the partner preferences of wild, pure-bred and hybrid female common voles. Results Genetic analysis based on microsatellite markers revealed the presence of multiple parapatric and largely non-admixed populations at distances of about 10 km at the edge of the area of natural hybridization between the Western and Central lineages. Wild females from Western parapatric populations and lab-born F1 hybrids preferred males from the Western lineage whereas wild females of Central parapatric origin showed no measurable preference. Furthermore, wild and lab-born females from allopatric populations of the Western or Central lineages showed no detectable preference for males from either lineage. Conclusions The detected partner preferences are consistent with asymmetrical reinforcement of pre-mating reproductive isolation mechanisms in the European common vole and with earlier results suggesting that hybridization is more detrimental to the Western lineage. As a consequence, these differences in behaviour might contribute to a further geographical stabilization of this moving hybrid zone. Such behavioural processes could also provide a mechanistic perspective for frequently-detected asymmetrical introgression patterns in the largely allopatrically diversifying Microtus genus and other rapidly speciating rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mathias Beysard
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics (CMPG), Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, CH 3012, Bern, Switzerland. .,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Genopode, CH 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Rebecca Krebs-Wheaton
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics (CMPG), Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, CH 3012, Bern, Switzerland. .,Present Address: Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemannstrasse 2, 24306, Ploen, Germany.
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics (CMPG), Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, CH 3012, Bern, Switzerland. .,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Genopode, CH 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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36
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Weber de Melo V, Sheikh Ali H, Freise J, Kühnert D, Essbauer S, Mertens M, Wanka KM, Drewes S, Ulrich RG, Heckel G. Spatiotemporal dynamics of Puumala hantavirus associated with its rodent host, Myodes glareolus. Evol Appl 2015; 8:545-59. [PMID: 26136821 PMCID: PMC4479511 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2014] [Accepted: 03/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Many viruses significantly impact human and animal health. Understanding the population dynamics of these viruses and their hosts can provide important insights for epidemiology and virus evolution. Puumala virus (PUUV) is a European hantavirus that may cause regional outbreaks of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in humans. Here, we analyzed the spatiotemporal dynamics of PUUV circulating in local populations of its rodent reservoir host, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) during eight years. Phylogenetic and population genetic analyses of all three genome segments of PUUV showed strong geographical structuring at a very local scale. There was a high temporal turnover of virus strains in the local bank vole populations, but several virus strains persisted through multiple years. Phylodynamic analyses showed no significant changes in the local effective population sizes of PUUV, although vole numbers and virus prevalence fluctuated widely. Microsatellite data demonstrated also a temporally persisting subdivision between local vole populations, but these groups did not correspond to the subdivision in the virus strains. We conclude that restricted transmission between vole populations and genetic drift play important roles in shaping the genetic structure and temporal dynamics of PUUV in its natural host which has several implications for zoonotic risks of the human population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Weber de Melo
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics (CMPG), Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland
| | - Hanan Sheikh Ali
- Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany ; College of Veterinary Medicine, Sudan University of Science and Technology Khartoum, Sudan
| | - Jona Freise
- Fachbereich Schädlingsbekämpfung, Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit Wardenburg, Germany
| | - Denise Kühnert
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sandra Essbauer
- Department of Virology & Rickettsiology, Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology Munich, Germany
| | - Marc Mertens
- Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Konrad M Wanka
- Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Stephan Drewes
- Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics (CMPG), Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern Bern, Switzerland ; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics Lausanne, Switzerland
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Ali HS, Drewes S, Weber de Melo V, Schlegel M, Freise J, Groschup MH, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. Complete genome of a Puumala virus strain from Central Europe. Virus Genes 2014; 50:292-8. [PMID: 25543297 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-014-1157-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2014] [Accepted: 12/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Puumala virus (PUUV) is one of the predominant hantavirus species in Europe causing mild to moderate cases of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome. Parts of Lower Saxony in north-western Germany are endemic for PUUV infections. In this study, the complete PUUV genome sequence of a bank vole-derived tissue sample from the 2007 outbreak was determined by a combined primer-walking and RNA ligation strategy. The S, M and L genome segments were 1,828, 3,680 and 6,550 nucleotides in length, respectively. Sliding-window analyses of the nucleotide sequences of all available complete PUUV genomes indicated a non-homogenous distribution of variability with hypervariable regions located at the 3'-ends of the S and M segments. The overall similarity of the coding genome regions to the other PUUV strains ranged between 80.1 and 84.7 % at the level of the nucleotide sequence and between 89.5 and 98.1 % for the deduced amino acid sequences. In comparison to the phylogenetic trees of the complete coding sequences, trees based on partial segments revealed a general drop in phylogenetic support and a lower resolution. The Astrup strain S and M segment sequences showed the highest similarity to sequences of strains from geographically close sites in the Osnabrück Hills region. In conclusion, a primer-walking-mediated strategy resulted in the determination of the first complete nucleotide sequence of a PUUV strain from Central Europe. Different levels of variability along the genome provide the opportunity to choose regions for analyses according to the particular research question, e.g., large-scale phylogenetics or within-host evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanan Sheikh Ali
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, OIE Collaborating Centre for Zoonoses in Europe, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
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Cucchi T, Barnett R, Martínková N, Renaud S, Renvoisé E, Evin A, Sheridan A, Mainland I, Wickham-Jones C, Tougard C, Quéré JP, Pascal M, Pascal M, Heckel G, O'Higgins P, Searle JB, Dobney KM. The changing pace of insular life: 5000 years of microevolution in the Orkney vole (Microtus arvalis orcadensis). Evolution 2014; 68:2804-20. [PMID: 24957579 PMCID: PMC5366975 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2012] [Accepted: 06/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Island evolution may be expected to involve fast initial morphological divergence followed by stasis. We tested this model using the dental phenotype of modern and ancient common voles (Microtus arvalis), introduced onto the Orkney archipelago (Scotland) from continental Europe some 5000 years ago. First, we investigated phenotypic divergence of Orkney and continental European populations and assessed climatic influences. Second, phenotypic differentiation among Orkney populations was tested against geography, time, and neutral genetic patterns. Finally, we examined evolutionary change along a time series for the Orkney Mainland. Molar gigantism and anterior-lobe hypertrophy evolved rapidly in Orkney voles following introduction, without any transitional forms detected. Founder events and adaptation appear to explain this initial rapid evolution. Idiosyncrasy in dental features among different island populations of Orkney voles is also likely the result of local founder events following Neolithic translocation around the archipelago. However, against our initial expectations, a second marked phenotypic shift occurred between the 4th and 12th centuries AD, associated with increased pastoral farming and introduction of competitors (mice and rats) and terrestrial predators (foxes and cats). These results indicate that human agency can generate a more complex pattern of morphological evolution than might be expected in island rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Cucchi
- CNRS-Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, UMR 7209, Archéoozoologie, histoire des sociétés humaines et de peuplements animaux, 55 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France; Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, St. Mary's, Elphinstone Road, Aberdeen, United Kingdom.
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Johne R, Dremsek P, Reetz J, Heckel G, Hess M, Ulrich RG. Hepeviridae: an expanding family of vertebrate viruses. Infect Genet Evol 2014; 27:212-29. [PMID: 25050488 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2014.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2014] [Revised: 06/25/2014] [Accepted: 06/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The hepatitis E virus (HEV) was first identified in 1990, although hepatitis E-like diseases in humans have been recorded for a long time dating back to the 18th century. The HEV genotypes 1-4 have been subsequently detected in human hepatitis E cases with different geographical distribution and different modes of transmission. Genotypes 3 and 4 have been identified in parallel in pigs, wild boars and other animal species and their zoonotic potential has been confirmed. Until 2010, these genotypes along with avian HEV strains infecting chicken were the only known representatives of the family Hepeviridae. Thereafter, additional HEV-related viruses have been detected in wild boars, distinct HEV-like viruses were identified in rats, rabbit, ferret, mink, fox, bats and moose, and a distantly related agent was described from closely related salmonid fish. This review summarizes the characteristics of the so far known HEV-like viruses, their phylogenetic relationship, host association and proposed involvement in diseases. Based on the reviewed knowledge, a suggestion for a new taxonomic grouping scheme of the viruses within the family Hepeviridae is presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reimar Johne
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Dremsek
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Jochen Reetz
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gerald Heckel
- University of Bern, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Bern, Switzerland; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Genopode, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael Hess
- Clinic for Poultry and Fish Medicine, Department for Farm Animals and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine (Vetmeduni Vienna), Vienna, Austria
| | - Rainer G Ulrich
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
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Schmidt S, Essbauer SS, Mayer-Scholl A, Poppert S, Schmidt-Chanasit J, Klempa B, Henning K, Schares G, Groschup MH, Spitzenberger F, Richter D, Heckel G, Ulrich RG. Multiple infections of rodents with zoonotic pathogens in Austria. Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis 2014; 14:467-75. [PMID: 24915446 PMCID: PMC4098071 DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2013.1504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Rodents are important reservoirs for a large number of zoonotic pathogens. We examined the occurrence of 11 viral, bacterial, and parasitic agents in rodent populations in Austria, including three different hantaviruses, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, orthopox virus, Leptospira spp., Borrelia spp., Rickettsia spp., Bartonella spp., Coxiella burnetii, and Toxoplasma gondii. In 2008, 110 rodents of four species (40 Clethrionomys glareolus, 29 Apodemus flavicollis, 26 Apodemus sylvaticus, and 15 Microtus arvalis) were trapped at two rural sites in Lower Austria. Chest cavity fluid and samples of lung, spleen, kidney, liver, brain, and ear pinna skin were collected. We screened selected tissue samples for hantaviruses, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, orthopox viruses, Leptospira, Borrelia, Rickettsia, Bartonella spp., C. burnetii, and T. gondii by RT-PCR/PCR and detected nucleic acids of Tula hantavirus, Leptospira spp., Borrelia afzelii, Rickettsia spp., and different Bartonella species. Serological investigations were performed for hantaviruses, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, orthopox viruses, and Rickettsia spp. Here, Dobrava-Belgrade hantavirus-, Tula hantavirus-, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus-, orthopox virus-, and rickettsia-specific antibodies were demonstrated. Puumala hantavirus, C. burnetii, and T. gondii were neither detected by RT-PCR/PCR nor by serological methods. In addition, multiple infections with up to three pathogens were shown in nine animals of three rodent species from different trapping sites. In conclusion, these results show that rodents in Austria may host multiple zoonotic pathogens. Our observation raises important questions regarding the interactions of different pathogens in the host, the countermeasures of the host's immune system, the impact of the host-pathogen interaction on the fitness of the host, and the spread of infectious agents among wild rodents and from those to other animals or humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Schmidt
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald–Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Sandra S. Essbauer
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Department of Virology & Rickettsiology, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Sven Poppert
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit
- Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus and Hemorrhagic Fever Reference and Research, Hamburg, Germany and German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hamburg-Luebeck-Borstel, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Boris Klempa
- Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Science, Bratislava, Slovakia, and Institute of Virology, Charité Medical School, Berlin, Germany
| | - Klaus Henning
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany
| | - Gereon Schares
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Epidemiology, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Martin H. Groschup
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald–Insel Riems, Germany
| | | | - Dania Richter
- Environmental Systems Analysis, Institute of Geoecology, Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics (CMPG), Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Genopode, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rainer G. Ulrich
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Greifswald–Insel Riems, Germany
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Beysard M, Heckel G. Structure and dynamics of hybrid zones at different stages of speciation in the common vole (Microtus arvalis). Mol Ecol 2014; 23:673-87. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.12613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2013] [Revised: 11/21/2013] [Accepted: 11/25/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mathias Beysard
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; CH 3012 Bern Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics; Genopode CH 1015 Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics; Institute of Ecology and Evolution; University of Bern; CH 3012 Bern Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics; Genopode CH 1015 Lausanne Switzerland
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Lischer HE, Excoffier L, Heckel G. Ignoring Heterozygous Sites Biases Phylogenomic Estimates of Divergence Times: Implications for the Evolutionary History of Microtus Voles. Mol Biol Evol 2013; 31:817-31. [DOI: 10.1093/molbev/mst271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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Martínková N, Barnett R, Cucchi T, Struchen R, Pascal M, Pascal M, Fischer MC, Higham T, Brace S, Ho SYW, Quéré JP, O'Higgins P, Excoffier L, Heckel G, Hoelzel AR, Dobney KM, Searle JB. Divergent evolutionary processes associated with colonization of offshore islands. Mol Ecol 2013; 22:5205-20. [PMID: 23998800 PMCID: PMC4159590 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2013] [Revised: 07/02/2013] [Accepted: 07/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Oceanic islands have been a test ground for evolutionary theory, but here, we focus on the possibilities for evolutionary study created by offshore islands. These can be colonized through various means and by a wide range of species, including those with low dispersal capabilities. We use morphology, modern and ancient sequences of cytochrome b (cytb) and microsatellite genotypes to examine colonization history and evolutionary change associated with occupation of the Orkney archipelago by the common vole (Microtus arvalis), a species found in continental Europe but not in Britain. Among possible colonization scenarios, our results are most consistent with human introduction at least 5100 bp (confirmed by radiocarbon dating). We used approximate Bayesian computation of population history to infer the coast of Belgium as the possible source and estimated the evolutionary timescale using a Bayesian coalescent approach. We showed substantial morphological divergence of the island populations, including a size increase presumably driven by selection and reduced microsatellite variation likely reflecting founder events and genetic drift. More surprisingly, our results suggest that a recent and widespread cytb replacement event in the continental source area purged cytb variation there, whereas the ancestral diversity is largely retained in the colonized islands as a genetic ‘ark’. The replacement event in the continental M. arvalis was probably triggered by anthropogenic causes (land‐use change). Our studies illustrate that small offshore islands can act as field laboratories for studying various evolutionary processes over relatively short timescales, informing about the mainland source area as well as the island.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natália Martínková
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK; Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Květná 8, Brno, 603 65, Czech Republic
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White TA, Perkins SE, Heckel G, Searle JB. Adaptive evolution during an ongoing range expansion: the invasive bank vole (Myodes glareolus) in Ireland. Mol Ecol 2013; 22:2971-85. [PMID: 23701376 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2012] [Accepted: 04/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Range expansions are extremely common, but have only recently begun to attract attention in terms of their genetic consequences. As populations expand, demes at the wave front experience strong genetic drift, which is expected to reduce genetic diversity and potentially cause 'allele surfing', where alleles may become fixed over a wide geographical area even if their effects are deleterious. Previous simulation models show that range expansions can generate very strong selective gradients on dispersal, reproduction, competition and immunity. To investigate the effects of range expansion on genetic diversity and adaptation, we studied the population genomics of the bank vole (Myodes glareolus) in Ireland. The bank vole was likely introduced in the late 1920s and is expanding its range at a rate of ~2.5 km/year. Using genotyping-by-sequencing, we genotyped 281 bank voles at 5979 SNP loci. Fourteen sample sites were arranged in three transects running from the introduction site to the wave front of the expansion. We found significant declines in genetic diversity along all three transects. However, there was no evidence that sites at the wave front had accumulated more deleterious mutations. We looked for outlier loci with strong correlations between allele frequency and distance from the introduction site, where the direction of correlation was the same in all three transects. Amongst these outliers, we found significant enrichment for genic SNPs, suggesting the action of selection. Candidates for selection included several genes with immunological functions and several genes that could influence behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas A White
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Corson Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-2701, USA.
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46
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Dong L, Heckel G, Liang W, Zhang Y. Phylogeography of Silver Pheasant (Lophura nycthemera L.) across China: aggregate effects of refugia, introgression and riverine barriers. Mol Ecol 2013; 22:3376-90. [PMID: 23692215 DOI: 10.1111/mec.12315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2011] [Revised: 03/12/2013] [Accepted: 03/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The role of Pleistocene glacial cycles in forming the contemporary genetic structure of organisms has been well studied in China with a particular focus on the Tibetan Plateau. However, China has a complex topography and diversity of local climates, and how glacial cycles may have shaped the subtropical and tropical biota of the region remains mostly unaddressed. To investigate the factors that affected the phylogeography and population history of a widely distributed and nondeciduous forest species, we analysed morphological characters, mitochondrial DNA sequences and nuclear microsatellite loci in the Silver Pheasant (Lophura nycthemera). In a pattern generally consistent with phenotypic clusters, but not nominal subspecies, deeply divergent mitochondrial lineages restricted to different geographic regions were detected. Coalescent simulations indicated that the time of main divergence events corresponded to major glacial periods in the Pleistocene and gene flow was only partially lowered by drainage barriers between some populations. Intraspecific cytonuclear discordance was revealed in mitochondrial lineages from Hainan Island and the Sichuan Basin with evidence of nuclear gene flow from neighbouring populations into the latter. Unexpectedly, hybridization was revealed in Yingjiang between the Silver Pheasant and Kalij Pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos) with wide genetic introgression at both the mtDNA and nuclear levels. Our results highlight a novel phylogeographic pattern in a subtropical area generated from the combined effects of climate oscillation, partial drainage barriers and interspecific hybridization. Cytonuclear discordance combined with morphological differentiation implies that complex historical factors shaped the divergence process in this biodiversity hot spot area of southern China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Dong
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
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Kindler E, Trojnar E, Heckel G, Otto PH, Johne R. Analysis of rotavirus species diversity and evolution including the newly determined full-length genome sequences of rotavirus F and G. Infection, Genetics and Evolution 2013; 14:58-67. [DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2012.11.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2012] [Revised: 10/26/2012] [Accepted: 11/18/2012] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
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48
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Bastos-Silveira C, Santos SM, Monarca R, Mathias MDL, Heckel G. Deep mitochondrial introgression and hybridization among ecologically divergent vole species. Mol Ecol 2012; 21:5309-23. [DOI: 10.1111/mec.12018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2012] [Revised: 07/27/2012] [Accepted: 07/30/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Sara M. Santos
- Departamento de Biologia Animal; Faculdade de Ciências; Universidade de Lisboa; Campo Grande; 1749-016; Lisbon; Portugal
| | - Rita Monarca
- Departamento de Biologia Animal; Faculdade de Ciências; Universidade de Lisboa; Campo Grande; 1749-016; Lisbon; Portugal
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49
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Liu Y, Keller I, Heckel G. Range-wide genetic population structure of common pochard (Aythya ferina): a potentially important vector of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses. Ecol Evol 2012; 1:529-45. [PMID: 22393520 PMCID: PMC3287338 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.46] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2011] [Accepted: 09/01/2011] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
An understanding of the distribution and spatial structure of the natural vectors of zoonothic pathogens is of interest for effective disease control and prevention. Here, we investigate the range-wide population genetic structure of common pochard (Aythya ferina), a long-distance migratory duck and potential vector of highly pathogenic avian influenza. We collected several hundred samples from breeding and wintering grounds across Eurasia including some H5N1-positive individuals and generated partial sequences of the mitochondrial control region and multilocus microsatellite genotypes. Genetic differentiation among breeding populations was significant for both marker types but higher for maternally inherited mtDNA than for biparentally inherited nuclear markers. There was only weak genetic divergence between ducks sampled in Europe and East Asia, and genetic differentiation between populations was not generally associated with geographical distance. No evidence of genetic substructure was detected for ducks sampled on the European wintering grounds. Our results suggest limited breeding-site fidelity, especially in females, but extensive population admixture on the wintering grounds. The specific role of pochards as natural vectors of zoonotic pathogens and in particular H5N1 remains to be clarified but our results point to wintering grounds as potential hotspots for disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of BernBaltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of BioinformaticsGenopode, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Irene Keller
- Department of Aquatic Ecology and Department of Fish Ecology and EvolutionEawag, Überlandstrasse 133, 8600, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of BernBaltzerstrasse 6, 3012, Bern, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of BioinformaticsGenopode, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Kindler E, Arlettaz R, Heckel G. Deep phylogeographic divergence and cytonuclear discordance in the grasshopper Oedaleus decorus. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2012; 65:695-704. [PMID: 22884526 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2012.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2011] [Revised: 07/06/2012] [Accepted: 07/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The grasshopper Oedaleus decorus is a thermophilic insect with a large, mostly south-Palaearctic distribution range, stretching from the Mediterranean regions in Europe to Central-Asia and China. In this study, we analyzed the extent of phylogenetic divergence and the recent evolutionary history of the species based on 274 specimens from 26 localities across the distribution range in Europe. Phylogenetic relationships were determined using sequences of two mitochondrial loci (ctr, ND2) with neighbour-joining and Bayesian methods. Additionally, genetic differentiation was analyzed based on mitochondrial DNA and 11 microsatellite markers using F-statistics, model-free multivariate and model-based Bayesian clustering approaches. Phylogenetic analyses detected consistently two highly divergent, allopatrically distributed lineages within O. decorus. The divergence among these Western and Eastern lineages meeting in the region of the Alps was similar to the divergence of each lineage to the sister species O. asiaticus. Genetic differentiation for ctr was extremely high between Western and Eastern grasshopper populations (F(ct)=0.95). Microsatellite markers detected much lower but nevertheless very significant genetic structure among population samples. The nuclear data also demonstrated a case of cytonuclear discordance because the affiliation with mitochondrial lineages was incongruent in Northern Italy. Taken together these results provide evidence of an ancient separation within Oedaleus and either historical introgression of mtDNA among lineages and/or ongoing sex-specific gene flow in this grasshopper. Our study stresses the importance of multilocus approaches for unravelling the history and status of taxa of uncertain evolutionary divergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eveline Kindler
- Computational and Molecular Population Genetics, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
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