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Updated: May 28, 2026

Phage-Mediated Genetic Manipulation of the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi

Phage-Mediated Genetic Manipulation of the Lyme Disease Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi

Published on: September 28, 2022

Narrowed host ranges do not constrain future host range expansion in RNA phage Φ6.

Taylor P Andrews¹, Abbey Isaac², Siobain Duffy³

¹Microbial Biology Graduate Program, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.

Journal of Virology

|May 27, 2026

Summary

RNA viruses that specialize on one host can readily regain broad host ranges by reversing mutations or acquiring new ones. This adaptability is crucial for understanding viral evolution and host shifts in nature.

Keywords:

RNA virus bacteriophage experimental evolution host use

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Virology
Genetics

Background:

RNA viruses frequently shift hosts, sometimes specializing on a new host at the expense of others.
The impact of host specialization on a virus's future evolutionary capacity is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the evolutionary potential of specialized RNA viruses.
To understand the mechanisms by which viruses re-expand their host range after specialization.

Main Methods:

Used previously evolved specialized strains of bacteriophage Φ6.
Challenged these specialized strains to adapt to ancestral and other hosts.
Identified resulting mutations and analyzed host range re-expansion.

Main Results:

Specialized Φ6 strains readily re-expanded their host ranges at rates comparable to emergence events.
Host range re-expansion occurred through reversal of previous mutations or acquisition of secondary/parallel mutations.
No significant constraint from mutational backgrounds due to epistasis was observed.

Conclusions:

RNA viruses possess significant potential for host range re-expansion following specialization.
Mechanisms include both reversion of prior adaptations and novel mutations.
Findings are relevant to understanding recurring host shifts and spillback events in natural viral populations.