Cited by 127Evolution and Genetic DynamicsViral Infections and Immunology ResearchVirology and Viral Diseases

The Evolutionary Pathway to Virulence of an RNA Virus

Open access
Stern, Adi, Yeh, Ming Te, Zinger, Tal, Smith, Matt, Wright, Caroline, Ling, Guy, Nielsen, Rasmus, Macadam, Andrew +1 more·2017·Cell

Abstract

Paralytic polio once afflicted almost half a million children each year. The attenuated oral polio vaccine (OPV) has enabled world-wide vaccination efforts, which resulted in nearly complete control of the disease. However, poliovirus eradication is hampered globally by epidemics of vaccine-derived polio. Here, we describe a combined theoretical and experimental strategy that describes the molecular events leading from OPV to virulent strains. We discover that similar evolutionary events occur in most epidemics. The mutations and the evolutionary trajectories driving these epidemics are replicated using a simple cell-based experimental setup where the rate of evolution is intentionally accelerated. Furthermore, mutations accumulating during epidemics increase the replication fitness of the virus in cell culture and increase virulence in an animal model. Our study uncovers the evolutionary strategies by which vaccine strains become pathogenic and provides a powerful framework for rational design of safer vaccine strains and for forecasting virulence of viruses. VIDEO ABSTRACT.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.cell.2017.03.013

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  • Recombination events downstream of nucleotide 5000 leading to acquisition of the non-structural coding region of WT PV3 are often observed in vivo in vaccinees that receive trivalent OPV.

    “This event is often observed in vivo in vaccinees that receive trivalent OPV (tOPV) (Korotkova et al., 2017, Stern et al., 2017).”

    From Engineering the Live-Attenuated Polio Vaccine to Prevent Reversion to Virulence (2020) · cites this paper as Stern et al., 2017

    The Results section on vaccinees reports type 2 viruses recombinant with OPV1 in the P2 or P3 regions 14 days after trivalent OPV vaccination. The Conclusions likewise say the non-structural region is frequently replaced with OPV1-derived sequence, not wild-type PV3 sequence. The cited passages do not establish a breakpoint downstream of nucleotide 5000. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • Soon after vaccination, the majority of vaccinees shed polioviruses with a high frequency of mutations that increase domV stability, indicating that domV structural stability is under strong positive selection in the human gut.

    “Soon after vaccination, the majority of vaccinees shed polioviruses with a high frequency of such mutations (Evans et al., 1985, Stern et al., 2017), indicating that the structural stability of domV is under strong positive selection in the human gut.”

    From Engineering the Live-Attenuated Polio Vaccine to Prevent Reversion to Virulence (2020) · cites this paper as Stern et al., 2017

    The Results section (‘Next generation sequencing of vaccinees confirms rapid emergence of gate-keeper mutations’; page unavailable) reports that all three gate-keeper mutations were at high frequencies in viruses excreted by all eleven vaccinees studied 14 days after vaccination. The paper interprets their rapid emergence as a fitness advantage, but our copy does not establish that these mutations increase domain V structural stability or that selection specifically favors that stability in the human gut. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Recombination of an OPV strain with co-circulating enterovirus C species allowed the Sabin2 domV to be replaced by that of a WT co-circulating enterovirus to provide a thermostable structure, thereby restoring viral fitness.

    “Recombination of an OPV strain with co-circulating enterovirus C species allowed the Sabin2 domV to be replaced by that of a WT co-circulating enterovirus to provide a thermostable structure, thereby restoring viral fitness (Burns et al., 2013, Stern et al., 2017).”

    From Engineering the Live-Attenuated Polio Vaccine to Prevent Reversion to Virulence (2020) · cites this paper as Stern et al., 2017

    The Results report that recombination with co-circulating HEV-C strains replaced the OPV2 5′ UTR in 397 of 424 sequences; they do not identify domain V specifically. The Conclusions link recombination to improved fitness and report that OPV2–HEV-C chimeras had elevated fitness at higher temperatures, but do not say that replacement of domain V provided a thermostable structure. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • In all type 2 lineages in current outbreaks, the 481 A-to-G mutation preceded all other events leading to cVDPV virulence, suggesting its role as a gate-keeper in the reversion process.

    “In all type 2 lineages in current outbreaks, the 481 A-to-G mutation preceded all other events leading to cVDPVs virulence (Stern et al., 2017), suggesting its role as a “gate-keeper” in the reversion process, similar to driver mutations in cancer evolution (Curigliano, 2018, Reddy et al., 2017, Temko et al., 2017).”

    From Engineering the Live-Attenuated Polio Vaccine to Prevent Reversion to Virulence (2020) · cites this paper as Stern et al., 2017

    The Results section (“A probabilistic evolutionary model”) says A481G was one of three gate-keeper substitutions that preceded the later waves of events in lineages with enough phylogenetic resolution. It does not say A481G preceded every other event in all lineages; the vaccinee-sequencing Results say A481G was *usually* first among the three gate-keepers. The paper also describes the analyzed outbreaks, not necessarily all current outbreaks. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Thermoresistant variants of Sabin2 also display a significant increase in virulence.

    “These thermoresistant variants also display a significant increase in virulence (Macadam et al., 2006, Stern et al., 2017).”

    From Engineering the Live-Attenuated Polio Vaccine to Prevent Reversion to Virulence (2020) · cites this paper as Stern et al., 2017

    The Results section reports that all three gate-keeper mutations were adaptive in cell culture at 39.5°C. In the mouse virulence experiments, however, only A481G alone and the combination of all three significantly increased virulence; the other individual mutations did not. The claim overgeneralizes the virulence finding to the thermoresistant variants as a group. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Authors
Stern, A., Yeh, M. T., Zinger, T., Smith, M., Wright, C., Ling, G., Nielsen, R., Macadam, A., & Andino, R.
Affiliations
  • Tel Aviv University (IL)
  • University of California, San Francisco (US)
  • National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (GB)
  • University of California, Berkeley (US)
Corresponding author
  • Stern, Adi
  • Andino, Raul
Venue
Cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2017-03
Volume
169
Issue
1
Pages
35-46.e19
ISSN
0092-8674 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2598379945
Cited by
127
References
72
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 6 · 2012: 1
FWCI
9.88
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • WIS post-doctoral award
  • Rothschild post-doctoral award
  • Edmond J. Safra Center for Bioinformatics at Tel-Aviv University
  • NSF (CMMI-0941355)
  • NIH (R01 GM097115, AI36178, AI40085, P01 AI091575)
  • University of California (CCADD
  • DARPA Prophecy
  • Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Viral Infections and Immunology Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Virology and Viral Diseases
Keywords
poliovirus, vaccine-derived poliovirus, oral polio vaccine, RNA virus evolution, polio epidemic
MeSH terms
Animals, Biological Evolution, Phylogeny, Poliomyelitis, Poliovirus Vaccine, Oral, Poliovirus, Mice

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