Poxvirus genome evolution by gene gain and loss

The poxviruses (Poxviridae) are a family of viruses with double-stranded DNA genomes and substantial numbers (often >200) of genes per genome. We studied the patterns of gene gain and loss over the evolutionary history of 17 poxvirus complete genomes. A phylogeny based on gene family presence/absence showed good agreement with families based on concatenated amino acid sequences of conserved single-copy genes. Gene duplications in poxviruses were often lineage specific, and the most extensively duplicated viral gene families were found in only a few of the genomes analyzed. A total of 34 gene families were found to include a member in at least one of the poxvirus genomes analyzed and at least one animal genome; in 16 (47%) of these families, there was evidence of recent horizontal gene transfer (HGT) from host to virus. Gene families with evidence of HGT included several involved in host immune defense mechanisms (the MHC class I, interleukin-10, interleukin-24, interleukin-18, the interferon gamma receptor, and tumor necrosis factor receptor II) and others (glutaredoxin and glutathione peroxidase) involved in resistance of cells to oxidative stress. Thus “capture” of host genes by HGT has been a recurrent feature of poxvirus evolution and has played an important role in adapting the virus to survive host antiviral defense mechanisms.