Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026
18:10
Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency
Published on: June 16, 2011
Prisoner's dilemma in an RNA virus
1Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park 20742, USA. paul.e.turner@uv.es
Nature
|April 14, 1999
Summary
Viral evolution at high infection rates led to selfishness, a "prisoner
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Virology
- Game Theory
Background:
- Competitive interactions among viruses are crucial for understanding viral evolution.
- Viral reproduction can occur at varying multiplicities of infection (MOI), influencing genetic relatedness within a host cell.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolution of viral competitive interactions under different multiplicities of infection.
- To determine the impact of high co-infection rates on viral fitness and evolutionary strategies.
Main Methods:
- Studied the RNA phage phi6 at high and low multiplicities of infection.
- Analyzed viral fitness changes over time in relation to infection rates.
- Utilized game theory principles, specifically the prisoner's dilemma, to model viral interactions.
Main Results:
- Phage populations at high multiplicities initially increased in fitness but subsequently evolved decreased fitness.
- Viral fitness dynamics at high MOI mirrored the prisoner's dilemma, favoring defection (selfishness) over cooperation.
- Low multiplicity infections did not result in decreased viral fitness, highlighting the role of genetic mixing.
Conclusions:
- High multiplicities of infection, leading to the mixing of unrelated viral genotypes, drive the evolution of selfish strategies.
- Viral selfishness, defined as sequestering shared intracellular products, evolves despite potential benefits of cooperation.
- The lack of clonal structure at high MOI is attributed to the emergence of defection in viral populations.
Related Concept Videos
01:23RNA Interference
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
01:53RNA Stability
Intact DNA strands can be found in fossils, while scientists sometimes struggle to keep RNA intact under laboratory conditions. The structural variations between RNA and DNA underlie the differences in their stability and longevity. Because DNA is double-stranded, it is inherently more stable. The single-stranded structure of RNA is less stable but also more flexible and can form weak internal bonds. Additionally, most RNAs in the cell are relatively short, while DNA can be up to 250 million...
01:53RNA Stability
Intact DNA strands can be found in fossils, while scientists sometimes struggle to keep RNA intact under laboratory conditions. The structural variations between RNA and DNA underlie the differences in their stability and longevity. Because DNA is double-stranded, it is inherently more stable. The single-stranded structure of RNA is less stable but also more flexible and can form weak internal bonds. Additionally, most RNAs in the cell are relatively short, while DNA can be up to 250 million...
02:27Nonsense-mediated mRNA Decay
The Upf proteins that carry out nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) are found in all eukaryotic organisms, including humans. Each protein has an individual role, but they need to work in collaboration. Upf1 is an ATP-dependent RNA helicase that unwinds the RNA helix. Because Upf1 can unwind any RNA, Upf2 and Upf3 are required to help Upf1 discriminate between nonsense and normal mRNAs.
Usually, Upf3 binds to an Exon Junction Complex (EJC) at mRNA splice sites. If a ribosome fully translates the mRNA,...
Usually, Upf3 binds to an Exon Junction Complex (EJC) at mRNA splice sites. If a ribosome fully translates the mRNA,...
01:23RNA Interference
RNA interference (RNAi) is a process in which a small non-coding RNA molecule blocks the post-transcriptional expression of a gene by binding to its messenger RNA (mRNA) and preventing the protein from being translated.
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
01:29Viruses with RNA Genomes
RNA viruses are categorized into positive-strand, negative-strand, or double-stranded groups based on their genomic structure and replication mechanisms. This classification dictates how they exploit host cellular machinery for protein synthesis and replication. Some RNA viruses also utilize reverse transcription as part of their life cycle, further diversifying their replication strategies.Positive-Strand RNA VirusesPositive-strand RNA viruses have genomes that function directly as messenger...