乙型肝炎病毒揭示了古代人口流入澳大利亚的情况

StephenW

Hepatitis B virus sheds light on ancient human population movements into Australia
March 18, 2019, University of Melbourne
hepatitis b
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Australian researchers have used current hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome sequences to deduce ancient human population movements into Australia, adding weight to the theory that the mainland Aboriginal population separated from other early humans at least 59 thousand years ago and possibly entered the country near the Tiwi Islands.

The discovery was made as an offshoot of the Characterising Hepatitis B in Indigenous Australians thRough Molecular epidemiology (CHARM) study, commenced in 2010 by the Menzies School of Health Research (Menzies). Chronic HBV infection is endemic in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and is an important cause of morbidity and mortality due to liver disease and liver cancer.

As part of caring for patients with hepatitis B infections in the CHARM study, the research team collected HBV samples from people living in over 30 communities across the NT and found HBV isolated from Aboriginal Australians is a unique strain not found anywhere else in the world, known as HBV/C4.

In the same way that human genome sequences are used to trace ancient human migration, the researchers predicted they could use modern day viral genomes to infer the movement of the people that have carried these viruses over many generations.

Published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, the study used cutting-edge evolutionary analyses of the HBV DNA sequences together with archaeological fossil and human genome data.

The researchers found that the precursor of the modern HBV/C4 virus entered Australia over 51 thousand years ago, and then separated into two groups; one centred in the northwest region, and a second in the central/eastern region of the NT. Strikingly, the two groups share a similar geographical distribution to the two main divisions of Aboriginal Australian languages spoken in Australia today.

Co-author on the paper, the Royal Melbourne Hospital's Dr. Margaret Littlejohn, who holds an honorary position with the University of Melbourne and is a Senior Medical Scientist in the Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory at the Doherty Institute, said that the entry point and timing of ancient human migration into continental Sahul—the combined landmass of Australia, New Guinea and Tasmania—are subject to debate.

"As we were analysing the sequences of HBV isolated as part of this study, we noted that the virus sequences had very strong geographical connections to the communities we visited," said Dr. Littlejohn.

"This led us to postulate that we might be able to use this geographical relationship to find out the origin of HBV and how long it might have been in Australia. This is the first time viral genomes have been used in this way in Australia."

Another co-author on the paper, Professor Josh Davis, Senior Principal Research Fellow at Menzies, said the discovery had generated great interest with Aboriginal research partners and patients.

"Most pleasingly, it has raised the profile of hepatitis B in communities. Community members have asked to find out more about hepatitis B and how they can be tested and treated," said Professor Davis.

"It's really exciting to take a novel approach, and use viral genetics to help tell the story of Australia's first people".

The study was endorsed by an Indigenous Reference Group comprised of members representing six different remote communities from across the NT and established by the Menzies Hepatitis B Research Program. The researchers also ensured that results were fed back to the main communities where samples came from.

Senior Aboriginal Health Practitioner, Sarah Bukulatjpi, who is also a co-author on the paper, said: "I am really pleased that we are finding out more details about HBV found in Aboriginal people. This can only help to eliminate hep B for the future.

"It is good for us to learn about this and for us not to be silent or feel shame; the fact the virus is so old helps to add to the evidence that Aboriginal people have been in Australia for a long long time," she concluded.

Explore further: Genetics reveal 50,000 years of independent history of aboriginal Australian people

More information: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2019). DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz02

Journal reference: Molecular Biology and Evolution search and more info website

Provided by: University of Melbourne search and more info website


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2019-03-he ... population.html#jCp

StephenW

乙型肝炎病毒揭示了古代人口流入澳大利亚的情况
2019年3月18日，墨尔本大学
乙型肝炎
信用：CC0 Public Domain

澳大利亚研究人员使用目前的乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）基因组序列来推断古代人口迁移到澳大利亚，增加了大陆土着居民与其他早期人类至少在59000年前分离并可能进入该国附近的理论的重要性。提维群岛。

该发现是作为分子流行病学（CHARM）研究的分析流行病学（CHARM）研究的特征性乙型肝炎特征的分支，该研究于2010年由孟席斯健康研究学院（孟席斯）开始。慢性HBV感染在澳大利亚原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民中流行，并且是由肝病和肝癌引起的发病率和死亡率的重要原因。

作为在CHARM研究中照顾乙型肝炎感染患者的一部分，该研究小组收集了来自新西兰30多个社区的人们的HBV样本，发现从澳大利亚土着居民中分离出的HBV是世界上其他任何地方都找不到的独特菌株，被称为HBV / C4。

与人类基因组序列用于追踪古代人类迁徙的方式相同，科学家预测他们可以使用现代病毒基因组来推断携带这些病毒多代人的运动。

该研究发表在分子生物学和进化论上，使用了HBV DNA序列的前沿进化分析以及考古化石和人类基因组数据。

研究人员发现现代HBV / C4病毒的前体在51000多年前进入澳大利亚，然后分成两组;一个位于西北地区，另一个位于新约中部/东部地区。引人注目的是，这两个群体的地理分布与今天在澳大利亚使用的澳大利亚土着语言的两个主要部门相似。

该论文的共同作者，皇家墨尔本医院的Margaret Littlejohn博士，他曾在墨尔本大学担任荣誉职位，并且是多尔蒂研究所维多利亚传染病参考实验室的高级医学科学家，他说，重点是古代人类迁徙到大陆Sahul的时间 - 澳大利亚，新几内亚和塔斯马尼亚的联合陆地 - 受到争论。

“由于我们正在分析作为本研究的一部分分离的HBV序列，我们注意到病毒序列与我们访问过的社区有很强的地理联系，”Littlejohn博士说。

“这导致我们假设我们可以利用这种地理关系来找出HBV的起源以及它在澳大利亚可能存在多长时间。这是病毒基因组首次在澳大利亚以这种方式使用。”

该论文的另一位合着者，孟席斯高级首席研究员Josh Davis教授表示，这一发现引起了土着研究伙伴和患者的极大兴趣。

戴维斯教授说：“最令人高兴的是，它提高了乙型肝炎在社区中的地位。社区成员要求更多地了解乙型肝炎以及如何进行检测和治疗。”

“采用一种新颖的方法，并使用病毒遗传学来帮助讲述澳大利亚第一批人的故事，真的很令人兴奋”。

该研究得到了土着参考小组的认可，该小组由代表来自北半球的六个不同偏远社区的成员组成，并由孟席斯乙肝研究计划建立。记者还确保将结果反馈给样本来自的主要社区。

高级土着健康从业者Sarah Bukulatjpi也是该论文的共同作者，她说：“我很高兴我们能够找到有关原住民中HBV的更多细节。这只能帮助消除肝脏B未来。

“对我们来说，了解这一点以及让我们不要沉默或感到羞耻是件好事;病毒如此陈旧的事实有助于增加土着人长期在澳大利亚居住的证据，”她总结道。 。

进一步探索：遗传学揭示了澳大利亚原住民5万年的独立历史

更多信息：分子生物学和进化（2019）。 DOI：10.1093 / molbev / msz02

期刊参考：分子生物学和进化搜索和更多信息网站

提供：墨尔本大学搜索和更多信息网站


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