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PMID: 3128793 Published · ppublish English Comparative Study Journal Article Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Sequence analyses of herpesviral enzymes suggest an ancient origin for human sexual behavior.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America ·Vol. 85 ·No. 8 ·1988-04-00 ·Pages 2658-61

Gentry GA, Lowe M, Alford G, Nevins R

Abstract

Comparison of the amino acid sequences of the deoxythymidine kinases of herpes simplex (HSV) and of marmoset herpes viruses (MHV) suggests a divergence time of 8 to 10 million years ago for HSV-1 and -2. Like MHV, HSV-1 and -2 cause local infections in their natural hosts, and direct contact between two individuals during the brief period of infectivity is needed for transmission. Because B virus, a nearer relative of HSV, depends on both oral and genital routes of transmission, we postulate that ancestral HSV (aHSV) was similar, and that for HSV-1 and -2 to diverge, genital and oral sites had to become microbiologically somewhat isolated from each other, while oral--oral and genital--genital contact had to be facilitated to maintain both aHSV strains. We propose that acquisition of continual sexual attractiveness by the ancestral human female and the adoption of close face-to-face mating, two hallmarks of human sexual behavior, provided the conditions for the divergence.

MeSH Terms
Animals DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase/genetics Haplorhini/genetics,microbiology Herpesviridae/enzymology,genetics Humans Phylogeny Ribonucleotide Reductases/genetics Sexual Behavior/physiology Thymidine Kinase/genetics
Chemicals
Ribonucleotide Reductases Thymidine Kinase DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase
Authors & Affiliations
4 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Gentry G A
Department of Microbiology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson 39216.
Lowe M
Alford G
Nevins R
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Article Info
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Abbr.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
ISSN
0027-8424
DOI
10.1073/pnas.85.8.2658
Published
1988-04-00
Pages
2658-61
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
7505876
PMCID
PMC280057
Subset
IM
Grants
NCRR NIH HHS · 2-S07-RR05386 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1073/pnas.85.8.2658 PMC Full Text View journal details
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