Although the evidence is still limited, a growing body of research suggests music may have beneficial effects for diseases such as Parkinson’s.
Image credit: Shutterstock/agsandrew.
New Research In
Physical Sciences
Featured Portals
Articles by Topic
Biological Sciences
Featured Portals
Articles by Topic
Contributed by Robert G. Webster, November 26, 2014 (sent for review October 22, 2014)
Significance
The emergence of human infection with a novel H7N9 avian influenza reassortant in China raises a pandemic concern. However, it is not fully understood how these H9N2 chicken viruses facilitated the genesis of the novel H7N9 viruses. Here we show that a “fittest” genotype (G57) emerged with changed antigenicity and improved adaptability in chickens. It became predominant in vaccinated farm chickens and caused widespread outbreaks before the H7N9 virus emergence, increasing reassortment between H9N2 and other subtype viruses and finally providing all of their internal genes to the novel H7N9 viruses. The prevalence and variation of H9N2 influenza virus in farmed poultry could provide an important early warning of the emergence of novel reassortants with pandemic potential.
Abstract
The emergence of human infection with a novel H7N9 influenza virus in China raises a pandemic concern. Chicken H9N2 viruses provided all six of the novel reassortant’s internal genes. However, it is not fully understood how the prevalence and evolution of these H9N2 chicken viruses facilitated the genesis of the novel H7N9 viruses. Here we show that over more than 10 y of cocirculation of multiple H9N2 genotypes, a genotype (G57) emerged that had changed antigenicity and improved adaptability in chickens. It became predominant in vaccinated farm chickens in China, caused widespread outbreaks in 2010–2013 before the H7N9 viruses emerged in humans, and finally provided all of their internal genes to the novel H7N9 viruses. The prevalence and variation of H9N2 influenza virus in farmed poultry could provide an important early warning of the emergence of novel reassortants with pandemic potential.
Footnotes
↵1J.P., S.W., and Y.Y. contributed equally to this work.
- ↵2To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: ljh{at}cau.edu.cn or robert.webster{at}stjude.org.
Author contributions: J.P., G.Z., J.Z., and J.L. designed research; J.P., Y.Y., G.Z., J.W., G.X., H.S., M.W., C.W., Y.W., D.W., B.Z., Y.J., Q.W., Q.D., M.S., and J.B. performed research; J.P., S.W., G.Z., R.A.C., J.W., M.W., G.L., Y.S., J.Z., H.Z., G.W., J.L., and R.G.W. analyzed data; and J.P., S.D., G.W., J.L., and R.G.W. wrote the paper.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Data deposition: The sequences generated in this study have been deposited in the Genbank database (accession nos. are listed in Table S3).
This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1422456112/-/DCSupplemental.
H9N2 evolution in the genesis of H7N9 virus
Sign up for Article Alerts
Jump to section
You May Also be Interested in
Biomedical communities and journals need to standardize nomenclature of gene products to enhance accuracy in scientific and public communication.
Image credit: Shutterstock/greenbutterfly.
Shapeshifting designs could have wide-ranging pharmaceutical and biomedical applications in coming years.
Image credit: Acacia Dishman/Medical College of Wisconsin.
Amanda Rodewald, Ivan Rudik, and Catherine Kling talk about the hazards of ozone pollution to birds.
CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing can improve the effectiveness of spermatogonial stem cell transplantation in mice and livestock, a study finds.
Image credit: Jon M. Oatley.