Viruses as Quasispecies: Biological Implications
Open accessAbstract
During viral infections, the complex and dynamic distributions of variants, termed viral quasispecies, play a key role in the adaptability of viruses to changing environments and the fate of the population as a whole. Mutant spectra are continuously and avoidably generated during RNA genome replication, and they are not just a by-product of error-prone replication, devoid of biological relevance. On the contrary, current evidence indicates that mutant spectra contribute to viral pathogenesis, can modulate the expression of phenotypic traits by subpopulations of viruses, can include memory genomes that reflect the past evolutionary history of the viral lineage, and, furthermore, can participate in viral extinction through lethal mutagenesis. Also, mutant spectra are the target on which selection and random drift act to shape the long-term evolution of viruses. The biological relevance of mutant spectra is the central topic of this chapter.
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Rapid adaptation of RNA viruses is enabled by virus population diversity, which increases the probability of accumulating beneficial and adaptation mutations.
“is enabled by virus population diversity, which increases the probability of accumulating beneficial and adaptation mutations (Domingo and Holland, 1994, Domingo et al., 2006, Lauring and Andino, 2010).”
From Engineering the Live-Attenuated Polio Vaccine to Prevent Reversion to Virulence (2020) · cites this paper as Domingo et al., 2006
The indexed opening passage (section and page unavailable) says that diverse viral mutant populations play a key role in adaptation to changing environments and that selection acts on those populations. It does not state the more specific claim that diversity increases the probability of accumulating beneficial mutations. (LLM, conf=0.81)
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Mutation rates among RNA viruses
Drake, J. W., & Holland, J. J. (1999) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.96.24.13910 · Cited by 1,143 · see citing works
Error catastrophe and antiviral strategy
Eigen, M. (2002) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.212514799 · Cited by 339 · see citing works
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Domingo, E., Sheldon, J., & Perales, C. (2012) · Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews · doi:10.1128/mmbr.05023-11 · Cited by 1,009 · see citing works
Self-citationEngineering the Live-Attenuated Polio Vaccine to Prevent Reversion to Virulence
Yeh, M. T., Bujaki, E., Dolan, P. T., Smith, M., Wahid, R., Konz, J., Weiner, A. J., Bandyopadhyay, A. S., Van Damme, P., De Coster, I., et al. (2020) · Cell Host & Microbe · doi:10.1016/j.chom.2020.04.003 · Cited by 221 · see citing works
Quasispecies-like behavior observed in catalytic RNA populations evolving in a test tube
Diaz Arenas, C., & Lehman, N. (2010) · BMC Evolutionary Biology · doi:10.1186/1471-2148-10-80 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
- Authors
- Domingo, E., Martín, V., Perales, C., Grande-Pérez, A., García-Arriaza, J., & Arias, A.
- Affiliations
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (ES)
- Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ES)
- Corresponding author
- Domingo, E.
- Venue
- Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology
- Publisher
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Published
- 2006
- Volume
- 299
- Pages
- 51-82
- ISSN
- 0070-217X (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7120838
- OpenAlex
- W2171820897
- Cited by
- 290
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 19 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 18 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 22
- FWCI
- 47.05
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Current topics in microbiology and immunology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RUIdeRA - Institutional University Repository (University of Castilla-La Mancha) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Fundación Ramón Areces
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Mathematical and Theoretical Epidemiology and Ecology Models
- Keywords
- viral quasispecies, RNA viruses, error-prone replication, viral pathogenesis, lethal mutagenesis, viral extinction, natural selection, genetic drift, viral evolution, viral population dynamics
- MeSH terms
- Mutation, RNA Viruses, Viruses, Genome, Viral, Evolution, Molecular
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