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Vaccinations

Vaccinations

The Evidence for Evolution

The Evidence for Evolution

Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.

Recombinant DNA

Recombinant DNA

Convergent Evolution

Convergent Evolution

Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.

Eukaryotic Evolution

Eukaryotic Evolution

The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...

Synteny and Evolution

Synteny and Evolution

John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Generation of Recombinant Arenavirus for Vaccine Development in FDA-Approved Vero Cells

Generation of Recombinant Arenavirus for Vaccine Development in FDA-Approved Vero Cells

Published on: August 1, 2013

Recombinant vector vaccine evolution.

James J Bull¹, Scott L Nuismer², Rustom Antia³

¹Department Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, United States of America.

Plos Computational Biology

|July 20, 2019

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Replicating viral vector vaccines can evolve, potentially reducing immunity. Mathematical models show this vaccine evolution compromises immunity only when severe, but it can be easily prevented.

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Area of Science:

Virology
Immunology
Computational Biology

Background:

Recombinant vector vaccines utilize viral backbones to express foreign antigens.
Transgenes in these vaccines can be dispensable or detrimental to viral replication.
Vaccine revertants may emerge, deleting or inactivating transgenes during manufacture or infection.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the evolution of replicating recombinant vector vaccines.
To understand the immunological consequences of vaccine evolution and revertant dynamics.
To assess the impact of vaccine evolution on host immunity.

Main Methods:

Utilized mathematical and computational modeling.
Simulated vaccine evolution during manufacture and within-host infection.
Incorporated dynamics of vaccine and revertant growth.
Modeled innate and adaptive immune responses.

Main Results:

Vaccine evolution can reduce antigenicity and compromise vaccine-induced immunity.
The extent of evolution during vaccine manufacture is a critical factor.
Revertant growth may have limited impact on vaccine growth and immunity.
Within-host evolution's impact is constrained by the limited period of viral replication.

Conclusions:

Within-host vaccine evolution can compromise immunity, particularly with severe pre-manufacture evolution.
The risk of compromised immunity is manageable and preventable.
Strategies to avoid or mitigate vaccine evolution during manufacture are effective.