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Host-Virus Arms Races Drive Elevated Adaptive Evolution in Viral Receptors
Wenqiang Wang1, Huayao Zhao1, Guan-Zhu Han2
1Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Microbes and Functional Genomics, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Journal of Virology
|June 5, 2020
Summary
Viral receptors, essential for virus entry, face conflicting evolutionary pressures. Host-virus arms races accelerate adaptation in these crucial cell surface proteins, driving significant evolutionary changes in primates and humans.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Virology
- Genetics
Background:
- Viral receptors are cell surface proteins utilized by viruses for host cell entry.
- These receptors are under opposing evolutionary forces: negative selection for function and positive selection due to host-virus interactions.
- The impact of negative pleiotropy on viral receptor adaptation remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary dynamics of viral receptors in primates.
- To determine the extent of adaptive evolution and selection pressures acting on viral receptors.
- To explore the role of viruses in driving local adaptation in human populations.
Main Methods:
- Evolutionary analyses of 96 viral receptor genes in primates.
- Identification of positively selected residues at virus-receptor interfaces.
- Analysis of genetic polymorphisms in human populations to detect signals of selection.
Main Results:
- 41 out of 96 viral receptors showed evidence of adaptive evolution in primates.
- Viral receptors exhibited significantly higher rates of adaptation compared to control proteins.
- 53 viral receptors displayed positive selection, and 5 showed balancing selection in human populations.
- 49 viral receptors experienced divergent selection pressures across different human populations.
Conclusions:
- Host-virus co-evolutionary conflicts accelerate the adaptive evolution of viral receptors.
- Viruses are significant drivers of local adaptation in human populations.
- These findings highlight the long-standing and dynamic antagonistic relationships between viruses and primates.
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