Diversifying selective pressure on influenza B virus hemagglutinin

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dc.contributor.advisorMa, Jianpeng
dc.creatorShen, Jun
dc.date.accessioned2011-07-25T01:38:12Z
dc.date.available2011-07-25T01:38:12Z
dc.date.issued2009
dc.description.abstractInfluenza B virus hemagglutinin (HA) is a major surface glycoprotein with frequent amino-acid substitutions. However, the roles of antibody selection in the amino-acid substitutions of HA were still poorly understood. In order to gain insights into this important issue, an analysis was conducted on a total of 271 HA1 sequences of influenza B virus strains isolated during 1940∼2007. In this analysis, PAML (Phylogenetic Analysis by Maximum Likelihood) package was used to detect the existence of positive selection and to identify positively selected sites on HA1. Strikingly, all the positively selected sites were located in the four major epitopes (120-loop, 150-loop, 160-loop and 190-helix) of HA identified in previous studies, thus supporting a predominant role of antibody selection in HA evolution. Of particular significance is the involvement of the 120-loop in positive selection, which may become increasingly important in future field isolates. Despite the absence of different subtypes, influenza B virus HA continued to evolve into new sublineages, within which the four major epitopes were targeted selectively in positive selection. Thus, any newly emerging strains need to be placed in the context of their evolutionary history in order to understand and predict their epidemic potential.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.callnoTHESIS PHYS. 2009 SHEN
dc.identifier.citationShen, Jun. "Diversifying selective pressure on influenza B virus hemagglutinin." (2009) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/61806">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/61806</a>.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/61806
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.
dc.subjectBiology
dc.subjectGenetics
dc.subjectBiology, Virology
dc.titleDiversifying selective pressure on influenza B virus hemagglutinin
dc.typeThesis
dc.type.materialText
thesis.degree.departmentPhysics
thesis.degree.disciplineNatural Sciences
thesis.degree.grantorRice University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science
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