The genetic impact of an Ebola outbreak on a wild gorilla population
Fontsere, Claudia (Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC) (Barcelona))
Frandsen, Peter (University of Copenhagen. Department of Biology. Section for Computational and RNA Biology)
Hernandez Rodriguez, Jessica (Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC) (Barcelona))
Niemann, Jonas (University of Copenhagen. Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics. The GLOBE Institute)
Hjorth Scharff-Olsen, Camilla (University of Copenhagen. Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics. The GLOBE Institute)
Vallet, Dominique (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. University of Rennes. ECOBIO: Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Evolution)
Le Gouar, Pascaline (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. University of Rennes. ECOBIO: Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Evolution)
Ménard, Nelly (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. University of Rennes. ECOBIO: Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Evolution)
Navarro, Arcadi 1969- (Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC) (Barcelona))
Siegismund, Hans R. (University of Copenhagen. Department of Biology. Section for Computational and RNA Biology)
Hvilsom, Christina (Copenhagen Zoo. Research and Conservation)
Gilbert, M. Thomas P. (University of Copenhagen. Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics. The GLOBE Institute)
Kuhlwilm, Martin (Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC) (Barcelona))
Hughes, David (Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC) (Barcelona))
Marquès i Bonet, Tomàs 1975- (Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont)

Date:	2021
Abstract:	Background: Numerous Ebola virus outbreaks have occurred in Equatorial Africa over the past decades. Besides human fatalities, gorillas and chimpanzees have also succumbed to the fatal virus. The 2004 outbreak at the Odzala-Kokoua National Park (Republic of Congo) alone caused a severe decline in the resident western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) population, with a 95% mortality rate. Here, we explore the immediate genetic impact of the Ebola outbreak in the western lowland gorilla population. Results: Associations with survivorship were evaluated by utilizing DNA obtained from fecal samples from 16 gorilla individuals declared missing after the outbreak (non-survivors) and 15 individuals observed before and after the epidemic (survivors). We used a target enrichment approach to capture the sequences of 123 genes previously associated with immunology and Ebola virus resistance and additionally analyzed the gut microbiome which could influence the survival after an infection. Our results indicate no changes in the population genetic diversity before and after the Ebola outbreak, and no significant differences in microbial community composition between survivors and non-survivors. However, and despite the low power for an association analysis, we do detect six nominally significant missense mutations in four genes that might be candidate variants associated with an increased chance of survival. Conclusion: This study offers the first insight to the genetics of a wild great ape population before and after an Ebola outbreak using target capture experiments from fecal samples, and presents a list of candidate loci that may have facilitated their survival.
Grants:	European Commission 676154 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad BFU2015-68649-P European Commission 864203 Agencia Estatal de Investigación BFU2017-86471-P Agencia Estatal de Investigación CEX2018-000792-M Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2017/SGR-880 Agencia Estatal de Investigación PGC2018-101927-BI00
Note:	Altres ajuts: "la Caixa" PhD fellowship code LCF/BQ/DE15/10360006 and "la Caixa" Foundation (ID 100010434), fellowship code LCF/BQ/PR19/11700002
Note:	Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Ebola ; Gorilla ; Non-invasive samples ; Candidate genes
Published in:	BMC genomics, Vol. 22 (October 2021) , art. 735, ISSN 1471-2164

DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08025-y
PMID: 34635054

12 p, 1.3 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles