Integrase-associated niche differentiation of endogenous large DNA viruses in crustaceans

Crustacean genomes harbor sequences originating from a family of large DNA viruses called nimaviruses, but it is unclear why they are present. We show that endogenous nimaviruses selectively insert into repetitive sequences within the host genome, and this insertion specificity was correlated with d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microbiology spectrum 2024-01, Vol.12 (1), p.e0055923-e0055923
Main Authors: Kawato, Satoshi, Nozaki, Reiko, Kondo, Hidehiro, Hirono, Ikuo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
DNA Viruses - genetics
endogenous viral elements
Genome
integrase
Integrases
Nimaviridae
Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid
Research Article
transposable elements
tyrosine recombinase
Virology
WSSV
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Summary:Crustacean genomes harbor sequences originating from a family of large DNA viruses called nimaviruses, but it is unclear why they are present. We show that endogenous nimaviruses selectively insert into repetitive sequences within the host genome, and this insertion specificity was correlated with different types of integrases, which are DNA recombination enzymes encoded by the nimaviruses themselves. This suggests that endogenous nimaviruses have colonized various genomic niches through the acquisition of integrases with different insertion specificities. Our results point to a novel survival strategy of endogenous large DNA viruses colonizing the host genomes. These findings may clarify the evolution and spread of nimaviruses in crustaceans and lead to measures to control and prevent the spread of pathogenic nimaviruses in aquaculture settings.
ISSN:2165-0497
2165-0497
DOI:10.1128/spectrum.00559-23