Biomics

The family Poxviridae is subdivided into two subfamilies: Chordopoxvirinae (vertebrate viruses) and Entomopoxvirinae (insect viruses). Viruses of the subfamily Chordopoxvirinae have a broad host range: mammals, birds, reptiles, fishes. Some viruses of this subfamily, in particular Orthopoxvirus species (monkeypox virus, cowpox virus and others), can cause zoonotic infections in humans upon their contact with infected animals. In view of the current situation with monkeypox virus in Russia and globally (several cases of monkeypox were registered among Russian tourists visiting southern countries in the spring of 2026), a phylogenetic study of the genus Orthopoxvirus would be relevant. Correspondingly, we have carried out a comparative study of 49 DNA-dependent DNA polymerases of Chordopoxvirinae viruses, including species from the genus Orthopoxvirus. Based on the multiple alignment with MUSCLE, a phylogenetic tree was inferred using the UPGMA method in MEGA6. The branch support level was determined using 1000 bootstrap replicates. The closest sequences to DNA polymerase of monkeypox virus were sequences of several similar enzymes from the group of cowpox virus, and a slightly more distant sequence was DNA polymerase of ectromelia virus, which causes mousepox. The overall consistency of the results of this comparative analysis suggests that the amino acid sequences of Orthopoxvirus B-type DNA polymerases can be used to determine taxonomy of viral isolates. In the context of biotechnology and genetic engineering, all these DNA polymerases can be considered equivalent.

poxviruses, DNA polymerase, phylogenetic analysis, monkeypox virus, UPGMA

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