Guinea Pig X Virus Is a Gammaherpesvirus
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-5-2025
Publication Title
Viruses
Abstract
The Guinea Pig X Virus (GPXV), a newly identified gammaherpesvirus, provides an opportunity to study viral evolution and host-virus dynamics. This study characterizes the GPXV genome and investigates its phylogenetic relationships and divergence from related viruses through comparative genomic and phylogenetic analyses. Virus propagation was conducted in Vero cells, followed by genomic DNA extraction and pan-herpesvirus nested PCR. Sanger sequencing filled gaps in the initial genome assembly, and whole-genome sequencing was performed using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Phylogenetic analyses focused on ORF8 (glycoprotein B), ORF9 (DNA polymerase catalytic subunit), ORF50 (RTA: replication and transcription activator), and ORF73 (LANA: latency-associated nuclear antigen). Results showed that GPXV ORFs showed variable evolutionary relationships with other gammaherpesviruses, including divergence from primate-associated viruses and clustering with bovine and rodent viruses. In addition to phylogenetics, a comprehensive comparative analysis of protein-coding genes between GPXV and the previously described Guinea Pig Herpes-Like Virus (GPHLV) revealed divergence. Twenty-four non-ORF genomic features were unique to GPXV, while 62 shared ORFs exhibited low to high sequence divergence. These findings highlight GPXV's distinct evolutionary trajectory and its potential role as a model for studying host-specific adaptations and gammaherpesvirus diversity.
First Page
1*
Last Page
14
DOI
10.3390/v17081084
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Truong, Vy Ngoc Yen; Ellis, Robert; and Stanfield, Brent A., "Guinea Pig X Virus Is a Gammaherpesvirus" (2025). LSU-LCMC Cancer Center Faculty Publications. 227.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/llcc_facpubs/227
10.3390/v17081084