(Meta)transcriptomic Insights into the Role of Ticks in Poxvirus Evolution and Transmission: A Multicontinental Analysis.

Yu Xi WANG; Jing Jing HU; Jing Jing HOU; Xiao Jie YUAN; Wei Jie CHEN; Yan Jiao LI; Qi le GAO; Yue PAN; Shui Ping LU; Qi CHEN; Si Ru HU; Zhong Jun SHAO; Cheng Long XIONG

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(Meta)transcriptomic Insights into the Role of Ticks in Poxvirus Evolution and Transmission: A Multicontinental Analysis.

Author: Yu Xi WANG ¹ ; Jing Jing HU ² ; Jing Jing HOU ³ ; Xiao Jie YUAN ⁴ ; Wei Jie CHEN ¹ ; Yan Jiao LI ¹ ; Qi le GAO ¹ ; Yue PAN ¹ ; Shui Ping LU ¹ ; Qi CHEN ⁵ ; Si Ru HU ¹ ; Zhong Jun SHAO ⁴ ; Cheng Long XIONG ¹
Author Information

1. School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Lab of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 200433, China.
2. School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Lab of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 200433, China;Innostellar Biotherapeutics Co. Ltd., Shanghai 200433, China.
3. Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai 200433, China.
4. Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Hazard Assessment and Control in Special Operational Environment, School of Public Health, Air Force Medical University, Xi'an 710032, Shaanxi, China.
5. School of Public Health, Fudan University, Key Lab of Public Health Safety, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 200433, China;Shanghai Institute of Infectious Disease and Biosecurity, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: Evolution; Gene recombination; Gene regulation; Horizontal gene transfer; Poxvirus; Tick
MeSH: Animals; Poxviridae/physiology*; Ticks/virology*; Phylogeny; Transcriptome; Evolution, Molecular; Poxviridae Infections/virology*; Genome, Viral
From: Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(9):1058-1070
CountryChina
Language:English
Abstract: OBJECTIVE:Poxviruses are zoonotic pathogens that infect humans, mammals, vertebrates, and arthropods. However, the specific role of ticks in transmission and evolution of these viruses remains unclear.
METHODS:Transcriptomic and metatranscriptomic raw data from 329 sampling pools of seven tick species across five continents were mined to assess the diversity and abundance of poxviruses. Chordopoxviral sequences were assembled and subjected to phylogenetic analysis to trace the origins of the unblasted fragments within these sequences.
RESULTS:Fifty-eight poxvirus species, representing two subfamilies and 20 genera, were identified, with 212 poxviral sequences assembled. A substantial proportion of AT-rich fragments were detected in the assembled poxviral genomes. These genomic sequences contained fragments originating from rodents, archaea, and arthropods.
CONCLUSION:Our findings indicate that ticks play a significant role in the transmission and evolution of poxviruses. These viruses demonstrate the capacity to modulate virulence and adaptability through horizontal gene transfer, gene recombination, and gene mutations, thereby promoting co-existence and co-evolution with their hosts. This study advances understanding of the ecological dynamics of poxvirus transmission and evolution and highlights the potential role of ticks as vectors and vessels in these processes.