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Cooperation: another mechanism of viral evolution
Yuta Shirogane1, Shumpei Watanabe, Yusuke Yanagi
1Department of Virology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. yuuta@virology.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Trends in Microbiology
|June 15, 2013
Summary
RNA viruses rapidly evolve due to high error rates. Measles virus (MV) cooperation between genomes via protein heterooligomers drives viral evolution, impacting tropism, host range, and genome segmentation.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- RNA viruses exhibit rapid evolution driven by error-prone RNA polymerase.
- Viral cooperation through protein heterooligomers is a newly identified evolutionary mechanism.
- Measles virus (MV) serves as a model for studying viral genome interactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of genome cooperation in viral evolution.
- To explore the implications of heterooligomer formation in measles virus (MV).
- To understand how viral cooperation influences viral adaptation and diversity.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of wild type and variant measles virus (MV) genomes.
- Investigation of viral protein heterooligomer formation.
- Modeling of viral evolution under cooperative mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated cooperation between wild type and variant MV genomes.
- Identified heterooligomer formation as a key mechanism for MV evolution.
- Showcased how genome cooperation can lead to new viral phenotypes.
Conclusions:
- Viral genome cooperation is a significant factor in RNA virus evolution.
- Heterooligomer formation facilitates adaptation, potentially expanding viral tropism and host range.
- This mechanism supports the quasispecies concept as a unit of selection in viral evolution.
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