## A Peculiar Evolutionary Feature of Monkeypox Virus A peculiar evolutionary feature of monkeypox virus **Published:** 6/19/2022 **Source:** [[bioRxiv]] **Author(s):** Yicong Dai, Xucong Teng, Difei Hu, Qiushuang Zhang, Jinghong Li **Funding:** > This work was financially supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2021YFA1200104), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 22027807, No. 22034004, No. 21621003), the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. XDB36000000), and Tsinghua University Spring Breeze Fund (No. 2020Z99CFZ019). **Archived URL:** <https://web.archive.org/web/20220811112746/https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.06.18.496696v1.full> ### My Notes - To better understand the monkeypox virus and its ability to spread, scientists have been studying its genetic material. They have found a specific type of structure called G-quadruplex (RG4) that has evolved in the coding sequence of the C9L gene of MPXV. This gene helps the virus to avoid the immune system of the host. - G-quadruplex is a type of structure that can form in the genetic material of cells, DNA or RNA. It occurs when four specific building blocks of genetic material called guanine bases come together to form a square shape. This structure is stabilized by a type of chemical bond called hydrogen bonds. G-quadruplexes are important in regulating gene expression, DNA replication, and maintaining the stability of the genome. > [!info] ## Abstract > > From 1 Jan 2022 to 15 June 2022, more than 2,100 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 42 countries. This unusual outbreak of monkeypox has raised new concerns in academia and the public. To keep abreast of the trend of the monkeypox epidemic, it is extremely urgent and important to surveille the accumulated genomic mutations and the change of the transmission ability of the pathogen, monkeypox virus (MPXV). We report a non-canonical RNA secondary structure, G-quadruplex (RG4), that surprisingly evolved stepwise with various variants. The RG4 motif is located in the coding sequence region of MPXV C9L gene that is functional in inhibiting host innate immune response. The evolution decreases the stability of this RG4 and promotes C9L protein level in living cells. Importantly, all the reported MPXV genomes in 2022 contain the most unstable RG4 variant, which may be the reason of the increasing spread of MPXV. These findings recommend that health authorities and researchers pay attention to the genomic evolution of MPXV. Abstract Simplified: Monkeypox is a disease caused by a virus called monkeypox virus (MPXV). From January 1st to June 15th, 2022, more than 2,100 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 42 countries. This outbreak of monkeypox is concerning to scientists and the public. To better understand the monkeypox virus and its ability to spread, scientists have been studying its genetic material. They have found a specific type of structure called G-quadruplex (RG4) that has evolved in the coding sequence of the C9L gene of MPXV. This gene helps the virus to avoid the immune system of the host. The evolution of this structure has made it less stable and increased the level of the C9L protein in living cells. This change may be related to the increasing spread of MPXV. The researchers recommend that health authorities and researchers pay attention to the genomic evolution of MPXV to better control its spread. ---- - **First Indexed:** 05-27-2023 - 4:26 pm - **Last Updated:** 06-04-2023 - 6:10 pm