Clonality and intracellular polyploidy in virus evolution and pathogenesis.
Celia Perales1, Elena Moreno2, Esteban Domingo3
1Centro de Biologia Molecular "Severo Ochoa" (CSIC-UAM), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas, Barcelona, Spain; and Liver Unit, Internal Medicine, Laboratory of Malalties Hepàtiques, Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca-Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08035 Barcelona, Spain.
Viruses primarily evolve clonally, as genetic recombination, though frequent, rarely creates new traits essential for replication or survival. Evolutionarily significant recombination events are rare but can lead to new pathogens or adaptations.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Viruses possess active recombination machinery, suggesting a role in genetic exploration beyond point mutations.
- Recombination is often linked to essential genome replication events in viruses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the role and significance of clonality versus recombination in virus evolution.
- To differentiate between mechanistically active but evolutionarily inconsequential recombination and impactful recombination events.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of viral evolution patterns in both natural (field) and experimental settings.
- Distinguishing between recombination events that are essential for replication and those that are not.
Main Results:
- Recombination is not essential for completing viral replication cycles, and distinct viral lineages (near-clades) can be identified.
- While recombination can be mechanistically active, it is often evolutionarily inconsequential for viral survival.
- Significant recombination events, though infrequent, have led to the emergence of new viral pathogens and conferred fitness advantages.
Conclusions:
- Clonality represents the standard evolutionary mode for viruses due to the largely inconsequential nature of recombination.
- Crucial events for viral survival and replication are not dependent on genetic exchange and the formation of recombinant genomes.
- A model of continuous mutation and recombination punctuated by biologically relevant recombination events is proposed for viral survival and cellular evolution.
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