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What's the host and what's the microbe? The Marjory Stephenson Prize Lecture 2015

Robin A Weiss1

  • 1Division of Infection & Immunity, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.

The Journal of General Virology
|August 23, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Retroviruses intimately interact with hosts, integrating into their DNA and sometimes acquiring host genes. This can lead to oncogenes, endogenous retroviruses, and even host-derived infections.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Virology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Retroviruses integrate their genetic material into host DNA as a mandatory part of their replication cycle.
  • This integration process can lead to significant genetic exchanges between viruses and hosts.
  • Such exchanges have profound evolutionary implications for both viral and host organisms.

Discussion:

  • The evolutionary consequences of retroviral-host genetic exchange for both viral and host lineages are examined.
  • The emergence of non-viral infections, such as eukaryotic 'parasites' from malignant cells, is also discussed.

Key Insights:

  • Retroviral integration drives significant evolutionary changes in hosts and viruses.
  • Host cells themselves can evolve into infectious agents, demonstrating complex host-pathogen dynamics.

Outlook:

  • Further research into the co-evolutionary arms race between retroviruses and hosts.
  • Investigating the origins and spread of host-derived infectious agents and their own endosymbiotic relationships.

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