Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27497315›Full record

ArticleGenome biology and evolution2016

Did Viruses Evolve As a Distinct Supergroup from Common Ancestors of Cells?

Ajith Harish, Aare Abroi, Julian Gough, Charles Kurland

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Genome biology and evolution, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. A Place for Viruses on the Tree of Life.Frontiers in microbiology · 2020
    Review
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Ajith HarishStructural and Molecular Biology Group, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Center, Uppsala University, Sweden ajith.harish@gmail.com ajith.harish@icm.uu.se.
Aare AbroiEstonian Biocentre, Riia 23, Tartu 51010, Estonia.
Julian GoughComputational Genomics Group, Department of Computer Science, University of Bristol, The Merchant Venturers Building, UK.
Charles KurlandMicrobial Ecology, Department of Biology, Lund University, Sweden.

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/G022771/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The evolutionary origins of viruses according to marker gene phylogenies, as well as their relationships to the ancestors of host cells remains unclear. In a recent article Nasir and Caetano-Anollés reported that their genome-scale phylogenetic analyses based on genomic composition of protein structural-domains identify an ancient origin of the "viral supergroup" (Nasir et al. 2015. A phylogenomic data-driven exploration of viral origins and evolution. Sci Adv. 1(8):e1500527.). It suggests that viruses and host cells evolved independently from a universal common ancestor. Examination of their data and phylogenetic methods indicates that systematic errors likely affected the results. Reanalysis of the data with additional tests shows that small-genome attraction artifacts distort their phylogenomic analyses, particularly the location of the root of the phylogenetic tree of life that is central to their conclusions. These new results indicate that their suggestion of a distinct ancestry of the viral supergroup is not well supported by the evidence.

Indexed as

Evolution, MolecularArchaeaBacteriaGenome, ViralModels, GeneticPhylogenyViral ProteinsVirusesViral Proteinshomoplasyorigins of virusesrooting artifactsmall genome attractionsystematic errortree of life

Identifiers

PMID27497315
PMCPMC5010908

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.