Article
Virology
Florian Laubscher, Mary-Anne Hartley, Laurent Kaiser, Samuel Cordey
Summary: This study investigates the genomic diversity of Torque teno virus (TTV) in blood samples from febrile Tanzanian children. The results show that TTV is highly prevalent in the blood samples, with a wide variety of genotypes and species. Furthermore, the diversity of co-detected TTV was significantly associated with the age of the subjects, indicating repetitive acquisition of TTV during the first months/years of life.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Natalia Redondo, Isabel Rodriguez-Goncer, Patricia Parra, Eliseo Albert, Estela Gimenez, Tamara Ruiz-Merlo, Francisco Lopez-Medrano, Rafael San Juan, Esther Gonzalez, Angel Sevillano, Amado Andres, David Navarro, Jose Maria Aguado, Mario Fernandez-Ruiz
Summary: The minor G allele of CD209 (rs4804803) may have a protective effect against TTV infection in non-immunocompromised patients, but no associations were observed between the analyzed SNPs and post-transplant kinetics of TTV DNAemia. The findings suggest that post-transplant TTV replication is mainly influenced by immunosuppressive therapy rather than genetic predisposition, emphasizing its clinical application as a biomarker of adaptive immunity.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Chaoliang Leng, Yujing Ma, Zhiqiao Yuan, Hongyue Zhai, Yushan Ding, Yin Bao, Huimin Li, Camilo Ayra-Pardo, Hongfei Shi, Reng Qiu, Hongliang Zhang, Ke Chen, Yunchao Kan, Lunguang Yao, Zhijun Tian
Summary: The study analyzed the complete genomes of two newly emerged TTSuV isolates from a large-scale pig farm in China, finding that they belong to the TTSuV1a subtype. Further analysis revealed that these viruses were generated through recombination in the TTSuV1a genome and could replicate in cells for multiple passages.
RESEARCH IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Kirsten Bentley, Fadi Ghassan Alnaji, Luke Woodford, Sian Jones, Andrew Woodman, David J. Evans
Summary: The study reveals that positive-sense RNA viruses undergo repeated rounds of recombination until precise, wild type length genomes are selected. The survival of viruses with wild type genomes is determined by their overall fitness in the virus population.
Article
Virology
Rodrigo AL Rodrigues, Fernanda G. de Souza, Bruna L. de Azevedo, Lorena C. F. da Silva, Jonatas S. Abrahao
Summary: Large and giant DNA viruses belong to the phylum Nucleocytoviricota, and their virus particle morphogenesis involves establishing viral factories in host cells to assemble new virions. The outer protein layer and conserved ATPase-coding gene of these viruses provide additional evidence for the common origin of Nucleocytoviricota.
CURRENT OPINION IN VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Mitchell Yip, Jing Chen, Yan Zhi, Ngoc Tam Tran, Suk Namkung, Eric Pastor, Guangping Gao, Phillip W. L. Tai
Summary: Clinical-grade AAV vectors for gene therapy undergo diagnostic tests to determine their quality, including the detection of DNA contaminants. One type of contaminant, rcAAVs, are replicative and potentially infectious viral particles formed through recombination events. A commonly used method to detect rcAAVs involves passaging transduced cells and using qPCR to detect the rep gene. However, this method is unable to determine the diversity of recombination events or provide insights into rcAAV formation. Through SMRT sequencing, we analyzed expanded virus-like genomes from rcAAV-positive preparations and found evidence of sequence-independent and non-homologous recombination events leading to the formation of diverse rcAAV clones.
Review
Immunology
Natalia Redondo, David Navarro, Jose Maria Aguado, Mario Fernandez-Ruiz
Summary: New reliable biomarkers are needed to predict immune-related complications after organ and stem cell transplantation. Torque Teno Virus (TTV) shows promise as a functional surrogate for monitoring immunosuppression, with high prevalence rates and stable viral loads. Studies suggest that increasing TTV DNA levels are associated with infectious complications, while decreasing levels are associated with acute rejection. However, the interpretation in stem cell transplant recipients is complicated by various factors. Standardization of PCR methods and ongoing trials evaluating a TTV load-guided strategy are expected in the future.
TRANSPLANT INFECTIOUS DISEASE
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Hebah A. Al Khatib, Peter V. Coyle, Muna A. Al Maslamani, Asmaa A. Al Thani, Sameer A. Pathan, Hadi M. Yassine
Summary: Human influenza viruses can be detected in the stools of influenza patients, and two distinct mutation patterns were found in fecal viruses. Despite limited mutations, Set I viruses were able to replicate at higher titers than Set II viruses. Functional analysis showed that fecal influenza viruses can efficiently replicate in different cells and bind to receptors.
INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Qiang Wang, Kalyani Nambiar, James M. Wilson
Summary: This study compared the utility of two modern DNA polymerases in isolating and amplifying AAV genomes, finding that the Q5 polymerase is more suitable for accurately amplifying input AAV sequences compared to the HotStar polymerase. Using high-fidelity DNA polymerases is crucial for accurately identifying AAV genomes from natural sources and ultimately developing more effective gene therapy vectors.
HUMAN GENE THERAPY
(2021)