RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Cui, Jie A1 Tachedjian, Gilda A1 Tachedjian, Mary A1 Holmes, Edward C. A1 Zhang, Shuyi A1 Wang, Lin-FaYR 2012 T1 Identification of diverse groups of endogenous gammaretroviruses in mega- and microbats JF Journal of General Virology, VO 93 IS 9 SP 2037 OP 2045 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.043760-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1465-2099, AB A previous phylogenetic study suggested that mammalian gammaretroviruses may have originated in bats. Here we report the discovery of RNA transcripts from two putative endogenous gammaretroviruses in frugivorous (Rousettus leschenaultii retrovirus, RlRV) and insectivorous (Megaderma lyra retrovirus, MlRV) bat species. Both genomes possess a large deletion in pol, indicating that they are defective retroviruses. Phylogenetic analysis places RlRV and MlRV within the diversity of mammalian gammaretroviruses, with the former falling closer to porcine endogenous retroviruses and the latter to Mus dunni endogenous virus, koala retrovirus and gibbon ape leukemia virus. Additional genomic mining suggests that both microbat (Myotis lucifugus) and megabat (Pteropus vampyrus) genomes harbour many copies of endogenous retroviral forms related to RlRV and MlRV. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis reveals the presence of three genetically diverse groups of endogenous gammaretroviruses in bat genomes, with M. lucifugus possessing members of all three groups. Taken together, this study indicates that bats harbour distinct gammaretroviruses and may have played an important role as reservoir hosts during the diversification of mammalian gammaretroviruses., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.043760-0