PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Julia V. Halo
AU  - Amanda L. Pendleton
AU  - Abigail S. Jarosz
AU  - Robert J. Gifford
AU  - Malika L. Day
AU  - Jeffrey M. Kidd
TI  - Origin and recent expansion of an endogenous gammaretroviral lineage in canids
AID  - 10.1101/414607
DP  - 2018 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 414607
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/09/12/414607.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2018/09/12/414607.full
AB  - Mammalian genomes contain a fossilized record of ancient retroviral infections in the form of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). We used whole genome sequence data to assess the origin and evolution of the recently active ERV-Fc gammaretroviral lineage based on the record of past infections retained in the genome of the domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris. We identified 165 loci, including 58 insertions absent from the dog reference assembly, and characterized element polymorphism across 332 canids from nine species. Insertions were found throughout the dog genome including within and near gene models. Analysis of 19 proviral sequences identified shared disruptive mutations indicating defective proviruses were spread via complementation. The patterns of ERV polymorphism and sequence variation indicate multiple circulating viruses infected canid ancestors within the last 20 million to within 1.6 million years with a recent bust of germline invasion in the lineage leading to wolves and dogs.