Parallel adaptation of rabbit populations to myxoma virus.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 30765607.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1126/science.aau7285 and PMC identifier 6433279.
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Abstract
In the 1950s the myxoma virus was released into European rabbit populations in Australia and Europe, decimating populations and resulting in the rapid evolution of resistance. We investigated the genetic basis of resistance by comparing the exomes of rabbits collected before and after the pandemic. We found a strong pattern of parallel evolution, with selection on standing genetic variation favoring the same alleles in Australia, France, and the United Kingdom. Many of these changes occurred in immunity-related genes, supporting a polygenic basis of resistance. We experimentally validated the role of several genes in viral replication and showed that selection acting on an interferon protein has increased the protein's antiviral effect.
Medical subject headings
- Adaptation, Biological
- Immunity, Innate
- Myxoma virus
- Myxomatosis, Infectious
- Rabbits