RNA viruses of the family Rhabdoviridae include arthropod-borne agents that infect plants, fish and mammals, and also include a variety of non-vector-borne mammalian viruses. Herein is presented a molecular phylogenetic analysis, the largest undertaken to date, of 56 rhabdoviruses, including 20 viruses which are currently unassigned or assigned as tentative species within the Rhabdoviridae. Degenerate primers targeting a region of block III of the L polymerase gene were defined and used for RT-PCR amplification and sequencing. A maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis of a 158-residue L polymerase amino acid sequence produced an evolutionary tree containing the six recognized genera of the Rhabdoviridae and also enabled us to identify four more monophyletic groups of currently unclassified rhabdoviruses that we refer to as the ‘Hart Park’, ‘Almpiwar’, ‘Le Dantec’ and ‘Tibrogargan’ groups. The broad phylogenetic relationships among these groups and genera also indicate that the evolutionary history of rhabdoviruses was strongly influenced by mode of transmission, host species (plant, fish or mammal) and vector (orthopteran, homopteran or dipteran).
BarrJ.,
ChambersP.,
PringleC. R.,
EastonA. J.1991; Sequence of the major nucleocapsid protein gene of pneumonia virus of mice: sequence comparisons suggest structural homology between nucleocapsid proteins of pneumoviruses, paramyxoviruses, rhabdoviruses and filoviruses. J Gen Virol 72:677–685[CrossRef]
BasurcoB.,
BenmansourA.1995; Distant strains of the fish rhabdovirus VHSV maintain a sixth functional cistron which codes for a nonstructural protein of unknown function. Virology 212:741–745[CrossRef]
BasurcoB.,
VendeP.,
MonnierA. F.,
WintonJ. R.,
de KinkelinP.,
BenmansourA.1995; Genetic diversity and phylogenetic classification of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV). Vet Res 26:460–463
BockJ. O.,
LundsgaardT.,
PedersenP. A.,
ChristensenL. S.2004; Identification and partial characterization of Taastrup virus: a newly identified member species of the Mononegavirales. Virology 319:49–59[CrossRef]
CalisherC. H.,
KarabatsosN.,
ZellerH.,
DigoutteJ. P.,
TeshR. B.,
ShopeR. E.,
Travassos da RosaA. P.,
St GeorgeT. D.1989; Antigenic relationships among rhabdoviruses from vertebrates and hematophagous arthropods. Intervirology 30:241–257
CryslerJ. G.,
LeeP.,
ReindersM.,
PrevecL.1990; The sequence of the nucleocapsid protein (N) gene of Piry virus: possible domains in the N protein of vesiculoviruses. J Gen Virol 71:2191–2194[CrossRef]
DhillonJ.,
CowleyJ. A.,
WangY.,
WalkerP. J.2000; RNA polymerase (L) gene and genome terminal sequences of ephemeroviruses bovine ephemeral fever virus and Adelaide River virus indicate a close relationship to vesiculoviruses. Virus Res 70:87–95[CrossRef]
ElliottR. M.,
DunnE.,
SimonsJ. F.,
PetterssonR. F.1992; Nucleotide sequence and coding strategy of the Uukuniemi virus L RNA segment. J Gen Virol 73:1745–1752[CrossRef]
GauntM. W.,
SallA. A.,
de LamballerieX.,
FalconarA. K. I.,
DzhivanianT. I.,
GouldE. A.2001; Phylogenetic relationships of flaviviruses correlate with their epidemiology, disease association and biogeography. J Gen Virol 82:1867–1876
GuyattK. J.,
TwinJ.,
DavisP.,
HolmesE. C.,
SmithG. A.,
SmithI. L.,
MackenzieJ. S.,
YoungP. L.2003; A molecular epidemiological study of Australian bat lyssavirus. J Gen Virol 84:485–496[CrossRef]
HeatonL. A.,
HillmanB. I.,
HunterB. G.,
ZuidemaD.,
JacksonA. O.1989; Physical map of the genome of Sonchus yellow net virus, a plant rhabdovirus with six genes and conserved junction sequences. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 86:8665–8668[CrossRef]
HonigJ. E.,
OsborneJ. C.,
NicholS. T.2004; The high genetic variation of viruses of the genus Nairovirus reflects the diversity of their predominant tick hosts. Virology 318:10–16[CrossRef]
JinH.,
ElliottR. M.1992; Genesis of the L protein encoded by Bunyamwera virus and production of monospecific antibodies. J Gen Virol 73:2235–2244[CrossRef]
KempG. E.,
LeeV. H.,
MooreD. L.,
ShopeR. E.,
CauseyO. R.,
MurphyF. A.1973; Kotonkan, a new rhabdovirus related to Mokola virus of the rabies serogroup. Am J Epidemiol 98:43–49
KissiB.,
BadraneH.,
AudryL.,
LavenuA.,
TordoN.,
BrahimiM.,
BourhyH.1999; Dynamics of rabies virus quasispecies during serial passages in heterologous hosts. J Gen Virol 80:2041–2050
KuzminI. V.,
OrciariL. A.,
AraiY. T.,
SmithJ. S.,
HanlonC. A.,
KameokaY.,
RupprechtC. E.2003; Bat lyssaviruses (Aravan and Khujand) from Central Asia: phylogenetic relationships according to N, P and G gene sequences. Virus Res 97:65–79[CrossRef]
Landes-DevauchelleC.,
BrasF.,
DezeleeS.,
TeningesD.1995; Gene 2 of the sigma rhabdovirus genome encodes the P protein, and gene 3 encodes a protein related to the reverse transcriptase of retroelements. Virology 213:300–312[CrossRef]
MastersP. S.,
BanerjeeA. K.1987; Sequences of Chandipura virus N and NS genes: evidence for high mutability of the NS gene within vesiculoviruses. Virology 157:298–306[CrossRef]
McWilliamS. M.,
KongsuwanK.,
CowleyJ. A.,
ByrneK. A.,
WalkerP. J.1997; Genome organization and transcription strategy in the complex GNS-L intergenic region of bovine ephemeral fever rhabdovirus. J Gen Virol 78:1309–1317
MeadD. G.,
MaréC. J.,
RambergF. B.1999; Bite transmission of vesicular stomatitis virus (New Jersey serotype) to laboratory mice by Simulium vittatum (Diptera: Simulidae ). Entomol Soc Am 36:410–413
MüllerR.,
PochO.,
DelarueM.,
BishopD. H.,
BouloyM.1994; Rift Valley fever virus L segment: correction of the sequence and possible functional role of newly identified regions conserved in RNA-dependent polymerases. J Gen Virol 75:1345–1352[CrossRef]
PochO.,
SauvagetI.,
DelarueM.,
TordoN.1989; Identification of four conserved motifs among the RNA-dependent polymerase encoding elements. EMBO J 8:3867–3874
PochO.,
BlumbergB. M.,
BougueleretL.,
TordoN.1990; Sequence comparison of five polymerases (L proteins) of unsegmented negative-strand RNA viruses: theoretical assignment of functional domains. J Gen Virol 71:1153–1162[CrossRef]
SchmidtH. A.,
StrimmerK.,
VingronM.,
Von HaeselerA.2002; tree-puzzle: maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis using quartets and parallel computing. Bioinformatics 18:502–504[CrossRef]
StallknechtD. E.,
HowerthE. W.,
ReevesC. L.,
SealB. S.1999; Potential for contact and mechanical vector transmission of vesicular stomatitis virus New Jersey in pigs. Am J Vet Res 60:43–48
ThompsonJ. D.,
HigginsD. G.,
GibsonT. J.1994; clustal w: improving the sensitivity of progressive multiple sequence alignment through sequence weighting, positions-specific gap penalties and weight matrix choice. Nucleic Acids Res 22:4673–4680[CrossRef]
TordoN.,
PochO.,
ErmineA.,
KeithG.,
RougeonF.1988; Completion of the rabies virus genome sequence determination: highly conserved domains among the L (polymerase) proteins of unsegmented negative-strand RNA viruses. Virology 165:565–576[CrossRef]
TordoN.,
BenmansourA.,
CalisherC.7 other authors2004; Rhabdoviridae. In Virus Taxonomy, VIIIth Report of the ICTV pp 623–644 Edited by
FauquetC. M.,
MayoM. A.,
ManiloffJ.,
DesselbergerU.,
BallL. A.
London: Elsevier/Academic Press;
WalkerP. J.,
ByrneK. A.,
RidingG. A.,
CowleyJ. A.,
WangY.,
McWilliamS.1992; The genome of bovine ephemeral fever rhabdovirus contains two related glycoprotein genes. Virology 191:49–61[CrossRef]
WalkerP. J.,
WangY.,
CowleyJ. A.,
McWilliamS. M.,
PrehaudC.1994; Structural and antigenic analysis of the nucleoprotein of bovine ephemeral fever rhabdovirus. J Gen Virol 75:1889–1899[CrossRef]
WangY.,
WalkerP. J.1993; Adelaide River rhabdovirus expresses consecutive glycoprotein genes as polycistronic mRNAs: new evidence of gene duplication as an evolutionary process. Virology 195:719–731[CrossRef]
WangY.,
McWilliamS. M.,
CowleyJ. A.,
WalkerP. J.1994; Complex genome organization on the GNS-L intergenic region of Adelaide River rhabdovirus. Virology 203:63–72[CrossRef]
WangY.,
CowleyJ. A.,
WalkerP. J.1995; Adelaide River virus nucleoprotein gene: analysis of phylogenetic relationships of ephemeroviruses and other rhabdoviruses. J Gen Virol 76:995–999[CrossRef]