By mapping endogenous retroviruses researchers at Uppsala University shine light on the evolutionary relationships of retroviruses.

Through the use of large-scale computer analyses, researchers in Patric Jern’s research team at Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology at Uppsala University, have uncovered new depths in retroviral diversity and has found evidence for a host reservoir of one group of retroviruses, with rampant host switching throughout history.

According to news from Uppsala University the computer screening identified nearly 90,000 ERVs from 60 host genomes sampled across vertebrate diversity, making it possible for the researchers to map host distribution, origin, and transmission of these viruses. “Our results indicate that current infectious retrovirus diversity may be underestimated, adding credence to the possibility that many additional retroviruses may remain to be discovered in vertebrate species,” said Alexander Hayward, the lead author of the new study, in a press release.

Furthermore, the researchers find evidence of frequent host-switching by one group of retroviruses throughout history, pointing to a rodent host reservoir and that rats may have acted as facilitators of retroviral spread across diverse mammalian hosts. “This study demonstrates the potential of the genomic record as an important resource for improving understanding of the long term co-evolution among retroviruses and host species,” commented Patric Jern.

The findings will be published in a coming issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). As further stated, the genomic record provided by ERVs offers improved knowledge of the evolution and frequency of past retroviral spread to evaluate future risks and limitations for horizontal transmission between different host species