Dating the Evolution of Begomoviruses
Author Information
Author(s): Lefeuvre Pierre, Harkins Gordon W., Lett Jean-Michel, Briddon Rob W., Chase Mark W., Moury Benoit, Martin Darren P.
Primary Institution: CIRAD, UMR 53 PVBMT CIRAD-Université de la Réunion
Hypothesis
What is the timeline for the evolution and divergence of begomoviruses?
Conclusion
The most plausible date for the split between New-World and Old-World begomoviruses is between 20 and 30 million years ago.
Supporting Evidence
- The study suggests that begomoviruses were present in the Americas at least 1.9 million years ago.
- High substitution rates in begomoviruses are comparable to those of rapidly evolving RNA viruses.
- Integration events of geminivirus-related DNA in Nicotiana species provide insights into the long-term evolution of these viruses.
Takeaway
Scientists studied begomoviruses to figure out when they split into two groups, and they think it happened a long time ago, around 20 to 30 million years back.
Methodology
The study used Bayesian coalescent-based approaches to date integration events and divergence of begomoviruses.
Potential Biases
Potential biases from recombination and the use of short-term substitution rates to infer long-term evolutionary events.
Limitations
The estimates of divergence times have large margins of error due to the complex nature of viral evolution.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% HPD intervals ranging from 2.9 to 78.2 MYA for the OW-NW split.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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