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Related Concept Videos

Viral Mutations00:36

Viral Mutations

A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material for adaptive...
Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation02:53

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...
Leaky Scanning02:28

Leaky Scanning

During most eukaryotic translation processes, the small 40S ribosome subunit scans an mRNA from its 5' end until it encounters the first start AUG codon. The large 60S ribosomal subunit then joins the smaller one to initiate protein synthesis. The location of the translation initiation is largely determined by the nucleotides near the start codon as there may be multiple translation initiation sites present on the mRNA.  Marilyn Kozak discovered that the sequence RCCAUGG (where R stands for...
Point and Frameshift Mutations01:30

Point and Frameshift Mutations

Point mutations are genetic alterations involving the change of a single nucleotide base pair in DNA. Depending on how the alteration affects protein synthesis, they can lead to various consequences.Point mutations fall into the following types:Silent mutations occur when a nucleotide change does not alter the amino acid sequence due to the redundancy of the genetic code. For instance, changing ACC to ACA still encodes threonine, leaving the protein function unaffected. This occurs because...
Size and Structure of Viral Genomes01:26

Size and Structure of Viral Genomes

Viral genomes exhibit remarkable diversity in size, structure, and composition, influencing their replication strategies and interactions with host cells. These genomes consist of either DNA or RNA and may be linear or circular. Additionally, they can be single-stranded or double-stranded, with each configuration affecting how the virus propagates within a host. RNA viruses, for instance, generally have smaller genomes than DNA viruses, a factor that contributes to their high mutation rates and...
Viruses with RNA Genomes01:29

Viruses 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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency
18:10

Isolation of Fidelity Variants of RNA Viruses and Characterization of Virus Mutation Frequency

Published on: June 16, 2011

Selection forces and constraints on retroviral sequence variation.

J Overbaugh1, C R Bangham

  • 1Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA. joverbau@fhcrc.org

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|May 16, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Retroviruses evolve rapidly due to error-prone reverse transcriptase. Immune responses and target cell availability, not just mutation, drive retroviral diversity in untreated infections.

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Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Immunology

Background:

  • Retroviruses exhibit high mutation rates due to error-prone reverse transcriptase.
  • The extent of retroviral sequence diversity and evolution varies significantly across different retroviral species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify the primary drivers of sequence diversity and evolutionary rates in retroviral infections.
  • To investigate the role of selection pressures in shaping retroviral genetic variation.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of sequence diversity in various retroviruses.
  • Examination of immune response and target cell availability as selection forces.
  • Case studies using lentiviruses (HIV, SIV) and oncoviruses (FeLV, HTLV).

Main Results:

  • Viral mutation rate is not the sole limiting factor for diversity; selection is crucial.
  • Immune response and limited target cell availability are key selection forces.
  • Differences in selection pressures correlate with observed sequence diversity and disease outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • Selection, particularly immune pressure and host cell limitations, dictates retroviral diversity.
  • Understanding these forces is vital for comprehending retroviral evolution and disease progression.
  • Specific lentiviruses and oncoviruses exemplify how selection shapes viral populations.