Evolution of the vesicular stomatitis viruses: Divergence and codon usage bias

Abstract Four Vesiculovirus species causing vesicular stomatitis in the Americas, together with two closely related insect isolates, can be phyletically classified into two major groups: New Jersey (NJ) and Indiana (IN). Here, Bayesian coalescent analyses were conducted to the time-stamped entire coding sequences of the G gene of these vesiculoviruses, with emphasis on their divergence scenario. The primary bifurcation was a much ancient event that might have taken place around 1.8 million years ago between NJ and IN, which shared a similar high mean rate. Interestingly, the overall codon usage bias pattern of these viruses resembled that of the insect vectors rather than the livestock hosts.