Comprehensive Analysis of Equid Herpesvirus Recombination: An Insight Into the Repeat Regions.
Abstract: High-throughput sequencing of genomes has expanded our knowledge of the Alphaherpesvirinae, a widely extended subfamily of DNA viruses that recombine to increase their genetic diversity. It has been acknowledged that equid herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) and equid herpesvirus 4 (EHV-4), two alphaherpesviruses with an economic impact on the horse industry, can recombine. This work aimed to analyze interspecific recombination between all equid alphaherpesvirus species, using genomes of EHV-1, EHV-3, EHV-4, EHV-6, EHV-8, and EHV-9 available in GenBank. 14 events of recombination by RDP4 and Simplot between EHV-1 x EHV-4, EHV-1 x EHV-9, EHV-8 x EHV-1, and EHV-8 x EHV-9 were identified. Ten out of 14 events involved ORF64, a double-copy gene located at the repeat regions that codifies for the infected cell protein 4 (ICP4). Among the ICP4, recombination can be found between EHV-1 X EHV-9, EHV-8 X EHV-9, and EHV-1 X EHV-4, the former affects zebra-borne genotypes, a type of EHV-1 that infect wild equids, and the latter match with previous breakpoints reported in fields isolates. Consequently, these findings strongly suggest that ICP4 is a hotspot for recombination. This work describes novel recombination events and is the first genome-wide recombination analysis using all available equid alphaherpesvirus species genomes.
Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2023-09-11 PubMed ID: 37704182DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104916Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This study investigates the genetic recombination of equid herpesviruses, a subfamily of viruses which can recombine to increase their diversity and affect horses. The study identifies specific genes that are hotspot for recombination among different types of these herpesviruses.
Detailed Overview
The body of the study focuses on the comprehensive analysis of recombination in the equid herpesvirus strains. The strains analyzed include EHV-1, EHV-3, EHV-4, EHV-6, EHV-8, and EHV-9.
- Using high-throughput sequencing of genomes, the authors expanded the understanding of the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily. These are DNA viruses known for their ability to recombine and hence increase their genetic diversity.
- It was already known that EHV-1 and EHV-4, both of which impact the horse industry economically, could recombine.
- In this study, the aim was to scrutinize the interspecific recombination among all equid alphaherpesvirus species. The genomes for these virus species available in GenBank, an open access database, were used for the study.
- In total, 14 recombination events were identified by researchers using RDP4 and Simplot between EHV-1 x EHV-4, EHV-1 x EHV-9, EHV-8 x EHV-1, and EHV-8 x EHV-9.
Key Findings
The key revelations from the study highlight particular genes as hotspots for recombination, presenting an insightful picture of the impact of recombination on these viruses.
- Out of the 14 identified recombination events, 10 involved ORF64. This gene is a double-copy gene located at the repeat regions, and it codifies for the infected cell protein 4 (ICP4).
- Regarding ICP4, recombination occurred among EHV-1 X EHV-9, EHV-8 X EHV-9, and EHV-1 X EHV-4. Interesting to note is that recombination in EHV-1 X EHV-9 affects zebra-borne genotypes – a subtype of EHV-1 that infects wild equids.
- The recombination found in EHV-1 X EHV-4 matched with breakpoints reported previously in field isolates.
- These findings suggest that the ICP4 is a frequent site for recombination events.
In conclusion, this research describes new recombination events and is the first to conduct a genome-wide recombination analysis using all available equid alphaherpesvirus species genomes.
Cite This Article
APA
Tau RL, Ferreccio C, Bachir N, Torales F, Romera SA, Maidana SS.
(2023).
Comprehensive Analysis of Equid Herpesvirus Recombination: An Insight Into the Repeat Regions.
J Equine Vet Sci, 130, 104916.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2023.104916 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Institute of Virology and Technological Innovations, IVIT (INTA-CONICET), Dr Nicolas Repetto and De los Reseros, CP 1686, Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Electronic address: tau.rocio@inta.gob.ar.
- Institute of Virology and Technological Innovations, IVIT (INTA-CONICET), Dr Nicolas Repetto and De los Reseros, CP 1686, Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Chair of immunology, University of Salvador (USAL), Champagnat 1599, CP 1630, Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Institute of Virology and Technological Innovations, IVIT (INTA-CONICET), Dr Nicolas Repetto and De los Reseros, CP 1686, Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Institute of Virology and Technological Innovations, IVIT (INTA-CONICET), Dr Nicolas Repetto and De los Reseros, CP 1686, Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Institute of Virology and Technological Innovations, IVIT (INTA-CONICET), Dr Nicolas Repetto and De los Reseros, CP 1686, Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Chair of immunology, University of Salvador (USAL), Champagnat 1599, CP 1630, Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- Institute of Virology and Technological Innovations, IVIT (INTA-CONICET), Dr Nicolas Repetto and De los Reseros, CP 1686, Hurlingham, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Chair of immunology, University of Salvador (USAL), Champagnat 1599, CP 1630, Pilar, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Conflict of Interest Statement
Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Tallmadge RL, Laverack M, Lejeune M, Crossley B, Diel DG. A multiplex real-time PCR assay for detection of equid herpesvirus 1 and 4. Sci Rep 2025 Oct 31;15(1):38201.
- Paredes-Galarza BS, Campos FS, Oliveira MT, Prandi BA, de Souza UJB, Junqueira DM, Martin DP, Spilki FR, Franco AC, Roehe PM. Recombination Between Bubaline Alphaherpesvirus 1 and Bovine Alphaherpesvirus 1 as a Possible Origin of Bovine Alphaherpesvirus 5. Viruses 2025 Jan 30;17(2).
- Ruan L, Li L, Yang R, You A, Khan MZ, Yu Y, Chen L, Li Y, Liu G, Wang C, Wang T. Equine Herpesvirus-1 Induced Respiratory Disease in Dezhou Donkey Foals: Case Study from China, 2024. Vet Sci 2025 Jan 14;12(1).
- Tau RL, Marandino AE, Panzera Y, Alamos F, Vissani MA, Romera SA, Pérez R, Maidana SS. The complete genome of equid herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) field isolates from Argentina reveals an interspecific recombinant strain. Virus Genes 2024 Oct;60(5):559-562.
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
