Comparative fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) mapping of twenty-three endogenous Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (enJSRVs) in sheep (Ovis aries) and river buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) chromosomes

Perucatti, A., Iannuzzi, A., Armezzani, A., Palmarini, M. and Iannuzzi, L. (2022) Comparative fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) mapping of twenty-three endogenous Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (enJSRVs) in sheep (Ovis aries) and river buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) chromosomes. Animals, 12(20), 2834. (doi: 10.3390/ani12202834) (PMID:36290220) (PMCID:PMC9597706)

Abstract

Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are the remnants of ancient infections of host germline cells, thus representing key tools to study host and viral evolution. Homologous ERV sequences often map at the same genomic locus of different species, indicating that retroviral integration occurred in the genomes of the common ancestors of those species. The genome of domestic sheep (Ovis aries) harbors at least twenty-seven copies of ERVs related to the exogenous and pathogenic Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRVs), thus referred to as enJSRVs. Some of these loci are unequally distributed between breeds and individuals of the host species due to polymorphic insertions, thereby representing invaluable tools to trace the evolutionary dynamics of virus populations within their hosts. In this study, we extend the cytogenetic physical maps of sheep and river buffalo by performing fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) mapping of twenty-three genetically characterized enJSRVs. Additionally, we report the first comparative FISH mapping of enJSRVs in domestic sheep (2n = 54) and river buffalo (Bubalus bubalis, 2n = 50). Finally, we demonstrate that enJSRV loci are conserved in the homologous chromosomes and chromosome bands of both species. Altogether, our results support the hypothesis that enJSRVs were present in the genomes of both species before they differentiated within the Bovidae family.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This research was funded by the project PON1_486 GENOBU.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Palmarini, Professor Massimo

Creator Roles

Palmarini, M.: Conceptualization, Writing – review and editing, Supervision, Funding acquisition

• Authors: Perucatti, A., Iannuzzi, A., Armezzani, A., Palmarini, M., and Iannuzzi, L.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Virus Research
• Journal Name: Animals
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2076-2615
• ISSN (Online): 2076-2615
• Published Online: 19 October 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Animals 12(20): 2834
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License