Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Viral Mutations

Viral Mutations

A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material...

Viral Recombination

Viral Recombination

Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.

Diversity of Antigen Receptors

Diversity of Antigen Receptors

Antigen receptors are essential components of the immune system crucial in defending the body against foreign invaders. These receptors are present on the surface of B and T cells, enabling them to recognize antigens and mount an appropriate immune response.
Before encountering any antigen, lymphocytes express these receptors. On B cells, the antigen receptor is a membrane-bound antibody molecule called BCR; on T cells, it is a T cell receptor or TCR. B and T cell receptors are composed of two...

Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens

Immune Response Against Viral Pathogens

The immune system's response to viral infections is a complex and coordinated process involving natural killer (NK) cells, T cell-mediated responses, and antibody-mediated responses.
NK Cells
NK cells are a crucial part of our innate immune system, acting as the first line of defense against viral infections. These cells can recognize and kill infected cells without prior exposure to the virus, effectively slowing down the spread of infection. Additionally, NK cells produce proinflammatory...

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

In a population that is not at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the frequency of alleles changes over time. Therefore, any deviations from the five conditions of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium can alter the genetic variation of a given population. Conditions that change the genetic variability of a population include mutations, natural selection, non-random mating, gene flow, and genetic drift (small population size).

Genetic Drift

Genetic Drift

Natural selection—probably the most well-known evolutionary mechanism—increases the prevalence of traits that enhance survival and reproduction. However, evolution does not merely propagate favorable traits, nor does it always benefit populations.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Inferring Resource Competition in Microbial Communities from Time Series.

PRX life·2026

Same author

Paraplume: A fast and accurate antibody paratope prediction method provides insights into repertoire-scale binding dynamics.

PLoS computational biology·2026

Same author

Theoretical limits for sensing through phase separation.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Dynamics of memory B cells and plasmablasts in healthy individuals.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Correction: Buckling of swelling gels.

The European physical journal. E, Soft matter·2025

Same author

Energy-based generative models for monoclonal antibodies.

mAbs·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 12, 2025

Generation of Escape Variants of Neutralizing Influenza Virus Monoclonal Antibodies

Generation of Escape Variants of Neutralizing Influenza Virus Monoclonal Antibodies

Published on: August 29, 2017

Evolutionary stability of antigenically escaping viruses.

Victor Chardès^1,2, Andrea Mazzolini¹, Thierry Mora¹

¹Laboratoire de Physique de l'École Normale Supérieure, CNRS, Paris Sciences & Lettres University, Sorbonne Université, and Université Paris-Cité, 75005 Paris, France.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|October 23, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

RNA viruses like influenza evolve to escape immunity, but high mutation rates reduce fitness. This study reveals that immune cross-reactivity shapes viral evolution, favoring higher mutation rates and virulence in some cases, and lower mutation rates in others.

Keywords:

coevolution evolution of mutation rate evolution of virulence immune system viral evolution

More Related Videos

A Restriction Enzyme Based Cloning Method to Assess the In vitro Replication Capacity of HIV-1 Subtype C Gag-MJ4 Chimeric Viruses

A Restriction Enzyme Based Cloning Method to Assess the In vitro Replication Capacity of HIV-1 Subtype C Gag-MJ4 Chimeric Viruses

Published on: August 31, 2014

Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses

Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses

Published on: May 4, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 12, 2025

Generation of Escape Variants of Neutralizing Influenza Virus Monoclonal Antibodies

Generation of Escape Variants of Neutralizing Influenza Virus Monoclonal Antibodies

Published on: August 29, 2017

A Restriction Enzyme Based Cloning Method to Assess the In vitro Replication Capacity of HIV-1 Subtype C Gag-MJ4 Chimeric Viruses

A Restriction Enzyme Based Cloning Method to Assess the In vitro Replication Capacity of HIV-1 Subtype C Gag-MJ4 Chimeric Viruses

Published on: August 31, 2014

Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses

Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses

Published on: May 4, 2015

Area of Science:

Virology
Evolutionary Biology
Immunology

Background:

Antigenic variation is a key immune evasion strategy for RNA viruses, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2.
High viral mutation rates facilitate immune escape but incur fitness costs due to mutational load.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the cost-benefit trade-off influencing viral mutation rate evolution.
To explore how host immunity and cross-reactivity impact the evolution of viral mutation rates, virulence, and other non-antigenic traits.

Main Methods:

Utilized a traveling wave model to simulate virus-host immune system coevolution in finite populations.
Analyzed the dynamics of immune-virus interactions under varying levels of immune cross-reactivity.

Main Results:

The nature of the evolutionary wave (Fisher vs. fitness wave) depends on immune cross-reactivity levels.
Low cross-reactivity favors strategies maximizing wave speed, leading to higher mutation rates and virulence.
High cross-reactivity, as seen in H3N2 influenza, favors strategies maximizing the basic reproductive number, minimizing mutation rate and virulence.

Conclusions:

Host immune cross-reactivity is a critical factor determining the evolutionary trajectory of viral mutation rates and virulence.
Viruses may evolve to minimize mutation rates and virulence when faced with highly cross-reactive immunity, optimizing basic reproductive number instead.