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Are RNA viruses adapting or merely changing?

M Sala¹, S Wain-Hobson

¹Unité de Rétrovirologie Moléculaire, Institut Pasteur, 28, rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France.

Journal of Molecular Evolution

|July 21, 2000

Summary

RNA and retroviruses evolve rapidly due to neutral genetic drift, not necessarily beneficial mutations. Their sequence diversification is linear, suggesting a conservative evolutionary path compared to hosts.

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Area of Science:

Virology
Evolutionary Biology
Genetics

Background:

RNA viruses and retroviruses exhibit extremely high substitution rates compared to their hosts.
This rapid evolution raises questions about whether it's driven by neutral drift or beneficial mutations for viral adaptation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the patterns of sequence diversification across different proteins within viral genomes.
To determine whether viral evolution is primarily shaped by neutral drift or adaptive pressures.

Main Methods:

Analysis of relative sequence diversification across various viral proteins.
Comparison of evolutionary patterns in diverse RNA viruses and retroviruses, including mammalian and plant viruses.

Main Results:

A linear relationship was observed in the relative sequence diversification of viral proteins.
This pattern held across different evolutionary scales, from quasispeciation to interspecies variation.
The findings were consistent in both mammalian and plant viruses, irrespective of adaptive immunity.

Conclusions:

The majority of fixed mutations in RNA viruses and retroviruses likely represent neutral drift rather than adaptive evolution.
Viral evolution, when compared to hosts, appears relatively conservative despite high mutation rates.

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