ARE THE eIF2-α HOMOLOGUE AND PUTATIVE TYROSINE KINASE PROTEINS OF RANAVIRUSES SUITABLE TARGETS FOR PHYLOGENETIC RECONSTRCUCTION?

Ranaviruses are emerging pathogens of ectothermic vertebrates. They are the cause of morbidity and mortality events in both wild and captive animals around the globe. They have been implicated in the decline and local extinctions of several species. Ranaviruses are known to affect several endangered species and it is therefore important to understand the phylogenetic relationships between the different species and strains of Ranavirus to best address the threat that each may pose in a given situation. Here we obtain DNA sequence data from GenBank and built phylogenetic trees using the eIF2-α homologue, a putative tyrosine kinase protein, the major capsid protein (MCP), and whole genomes for 18 Ranavirus species from various taxa. The trees were built using the Neighbor-Joining method and all branches were bootstrapped 1000 times. Examination of the trees showed a similar branching pattern between both the MCP and full genome sequences. However, branching patterns were more defined in the trees build with the putative tyrosine kinase gene and the eFI2-α homologue sequences. The putative tyrosine kinase gene and the eFI2-α homologue could potentially be alternative genes for use when finer scale differentiation is needed (e.g. as has been done with the eFI2-α homologue with the Ambystoma tigrinum virus; i.e. local adaptation)