Small Ruminant Lentivirus Genome Sequencing

Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) are a heterogeneous group of viruses that infect sheep and goats causing incurable, progressive diseases that greatly impact animal welfare and productivity. Viral tropism and host susceptibility to the different SRLV strains are influenced by both host and virus genotypes. In sheep, genetic variation in the transmembrane protein 154 (TMEM154) gene is associated with susceptibility to SRLV infection. On the pathogen side, two distinct SRLV subgroups evolved to infect sheep in association with the host TMEM154 diplotype. However, the biology behind this association remains to be elucidated. Accordingly, the goal of this study is to obtain full-length genome sequence for SRLVs infecting sheep with known TMEM154 diplotypes to further our understanding of virus-host co-evolution with the goal of identifying the genetic elements biologically responsible for association of SLRV subgroups with host TMEM154 diplotypes.