The error threshold
Abstract
Basic principles underlying the population dynamics of bacteria and viruses are presented, with emphasis on RNA viruses. Concepts reviewed here include fitness, mutant generation, competition, selection, sequence space and the theoretical origins of quasispecies. A "wild-type" virus is no longer viewed as the fittest type, but as the center of gravity of a population landscape. A consequence of quasispecies is the existence of an error threshold for selective competence. The error threshold has a justification in quasispecies theory and lends itself to exploration of strategies to drive viral populations over the error threshold, the central theme of this volume.
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If the replication error rate exceeds a certain error threshold, genetic information will disintegrate and the species will go extinct.
“If the rate at which errors in the replication occur exceeds a certain error threshold, the genetic information will disintegrate and the species will go extinct [8,12].”
From Towards open-ended evolution in self-replicating molecular systems (2017) · cites this paper as [12]
Unless mutation rates are significantly diminished, an increase in genome length unavoidably leads to a catastrophic loss of hereditary information.
“In the same work, Eigen showed that unless mutation rates were significantly diminished, the increase in the length of the genome would unavoidably lead to a catastrophic loss of hereditary information.”
From Towards open-ended evolution in self-replicating molecular systems (2017) · cites this paper as [12]
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Self-citationNatural selection: a phase transition?
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“[71]), which places limits on the errorrate permitted for the information content of genetic systems to be heritable [72].”
BackgroundTowards open-ended evolution in self-replicating molecular systems
Duim, H., & Otto, S. (2017) · Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry · doi:10.3762/bjoc.13.118 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Koonin, E. V., Wolf, Y. I., & Katsnelson, M. I. (2017) · Biology Direct · doi:10.1186/s13062-017-0202-5 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
- Authors
- Biebricher, C. K., & Eigen, M.
- Affiliations
- Max Planck Society (DE)
- Venue
- Virus Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2005-02
- Volume
- 107
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 117-127
- ISSN
- 0168-1702 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1982249405
- Cited by
- 196
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 5.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Virus Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (submittedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Mathematical and Theoretical Epidemiology and Ecology Models
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Keywords
- error threshold, quasispecies, RNA viruses, population dynamics, fitness, mutant generation, competition (biology), selection, sequence spaces, viral evolution
- MeSH terms
- Antiviral Agents, Mutagens, Mutation, RNA Viruses, Virus Replication
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