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Surprising success in cancer research by detecting DNA traces in bats?
The results of a recent study could lead to a breakthrough in cancer research. Experts discovered that DNA strains of the virus family responsible for a rare type of leukemia were found in the genomes of bats.
Researchers from the University of Glasgow and the Czech Academy of Sciences found in an investigation that DNA traces of viruses that can cause a rare type of leukemia are detectable in the genomes of bats. The doctors published a press release on the results of their study.
Do leukemia-causing viruses originate from bats? The results of a recent study strongly support this assumption. (Image: Geza Farkas / fotolia.com) Found viruses are between 20 and 45 million years old
The viruses found seem to be between 20 and 45 million years old, the experts explain. For the first time, the results would show concrete evidence that the so-called group of delta retroviruses has an ancient mammalian origin. The new findings will enable physicians to better understand the properties of viruses in the future.
Worldwide, about 15 to 20 million people are infected by the viruses
The deltaretrovirus group contains so-called T-lymphotrophic viruses. Worldwide, about 15 to 20 million people are infected by these viruses, explain the doctors. Infection may cause a rare type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma called adult T-cell leukemia / lymphoma (ATLL). However, such an infection is very rare. Most people who carry such a virus will never develop the disease, the experts add.
Accurate origins of the viruses were previously unknown
It has long been suspected that delta retroviruses have infected humans even before prehistoric times. But since there were no fossil records of such viruses, their exact origins have been a mystery, researchers say. The discovery of this viral sequence fills the last major gap in the fossil record of retroviruses, explains author. Robert Gifford from the University of Glasgow. The sequence provides a means of calibrating the timeline of the interaction between delta retroviruses and their hosts.
Knowledge enables a better understanding of the defense mechanisms against the viruses
This finding can also be used as a tool to understand the mechanisms that mammals have developed to counteract the threat of these viruses. Improved understanding of the history of these viruses helps scientists better understand how viruses affect humans and animals today and in the future. The deltaretrovirus group, which contains HTLV-1, can lead to the blood cancer ATLL, explain the physicians.
Residues of deltaretrovirus were found in Minopteriden
Dr. Daniel Elleder from the Czech Academy of Sciences identified the remains of a deltaretrovirus in the genome of so-called bent bats. These animals are members of the group of bats, which are called Minopteriden. The virus sequence found was apparently integrated into a number of widely related species, the experts explain.
Unusual feature discovered
The Prague team worked with Dr. Ing. Gifford together to characterize the sequence. The physicians found an unusual and hitherto inexplicable feature of the virus, which is also present in contemporary delta retroviruses. The discovery that this property has defined delta retroviruses for millions of years makes it clear that it is somehow crucial to the biology of these living things. This could help scientists in the future to better understand and better address such viruses.
Long-term connections can be decrypted
The records of retrovirus fossils consist of DNA sequences derived from old retroviruses and preserved in animal genomes, say the physicians. In recent years, studies of these sequences have uncovered the unexpectedly ancient origins of various retrovirus groups. This will allow researchers to better understand the long-term relationship between retroviruses and mammals. (As)