The DOI matches its Crossref record; 51 of the 51 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Adaptive Value of High Mutation Rates of RNA Viruses: Separating Causes from Consequences
Open accessAbstract
As a consequence of the lack of proofreading activity of RNA virus polymerases, new viral genetic variants are constantly created. RNA viruses readily adapt to changing environmental conditions. Therefore, the high mutation rate of RNA viruses compared with DNA organisms is responsible for their enormous adaptive capacity. The above syllogism, with some variation, is deeply rooted in the thinking of many virologists: RNA viruses mutate at the maximum error rate compatible with maintaining the integrity of genetic information (i.e., the error threshold) because this would allow them to quickly find the beneficial mutations needed for adaptation (12, 14, 23, 32). It is an unquestionable fact that RNA virus populations exist as swarms of mutant genotypes (13). Such enormous variability is an unavoidable consequence of the lack of exonuclease proofreading activity of the virus-encoded RNA polymerases (44) with, in some cases, the added contribution of recombination (20, 29, 33). However, the argument that the more mutations are generated, the faster adaptation proceeds is flawed because it ignores the fact that the vast majority of mutations are deleterious, hence hindering adaptation, as shown by recent theoretical developments (25, 34). Therefore, the adaptive value of the RNA virus extreme mutation rate has to be carefully reconsidered, and new alternative explanations, beyond a purely mechanistic level, should be taken into consideration.
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Cites
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RNA VIRUS MUTATIONS AND FITNESS FOR SURVIVAL
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Rapid Evolution of RNA Genomes
Holland, J., Spindler, K., Horodyski, F., Grabau, E., Nichol, S., & VandePol, S. (1982) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.7041255 · Cited by 1,477
Evolution of high mutation rates in experimental populations of E. coli
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RNA recombination in animal and plant viruses
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Evolution of digital organisms at high mutation rates leads to survival of the flattest
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The Mathematical Theory of Selection, Recombination, and Mutation
Buerger, R. (2000) · IIASA PURE (International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis) · Cited by 608
High rate of viral evolution associated with the emergence of carnivore parvovirus
Shackelton, L. A., Parrish, C. R., Truyen, U., & Holmes, E. C. (2005) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0406765102 · Cited by 589
The distribution of fitness effects caused by single-nucleotide substitutions in an RNA virus.
Sanjuán, R., Moya, A., & Elena, S. F. (2004) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0400146101 · Cited by 582
Self-citationNeutral evolution of mutational robustness
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Cited by
Cross-Species Virus Transmission and the Emergence of New Epidemic Diseases
Parrish, C. R., Holmes, E. C., Morens, D. M., Park, E.-C., Burke, D. S., Calisher, C. H., Laughlin, C. A., Saif, L. J., & Daszak, P. (2008) · Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews · doi:10.1128/mmbr.00004-08 · Cited by 834
Respiratory Viral Infections in Infants: Causes, Clinical Symptoms, Virology, and Immunology
Tregoning, J. S., & Schwarze, J. (2010) · Clinical Microbiology Reviews · doi:10.1128/cmr.00032-09 · Cited by 747
Rapid Evolution of Pandemic Noroviruses of the GII.4 Lineage
Bull, R. A., Eden, J.-S., Rawlinson, W. D., & White, P. A. (2010) · PLoS Pathogens · doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000831 · Cited by 301
RNA Recombination Enhances Adaptability and Is Required for Virus Spread and Virulence
Xiao, Y., Rouzine, I. M., Bianco, S., Acevedo, A., Goldstein, E. F., Farkov, M., Brodsky, L., & Andino, R. (2016) · Cell Host & Microbe · doi:10.1016/j.chom.2016.03.009 · Cited by 157
“…rapid adaptation of RNA viruses to selective pressure from the environment lies at the root of many severe diseases, and it is the basis of their quickly evolving resistance to immune responses and antivirals(Elena and Sanjuan, 2005b; Holland et al., 1982; Steinhauer and Holland, 1987).”
BackgroundPybus, O. G., Rambaut, A., Belshaw, R., Freckleton, R. P., Drummond, A. J., & Holmes, E. C. (2007) · Molecular Biology and Evolution · doi:10.1093/molbev/msm001 · Cited by 140
Metadata
- Authors
- Elena, S. F., & Sanjuán, R.
- Venue
- Journal of Virology
- Publisher
- American Society for Microbiology
- Published
- 2005-09-15
- Volume
- 79
- Issue
- 18
- Pages
- 11555-11558
- ISSN
- 0022-538X (ISSN-L)
- 1098-5514
- OpenAlex
- W2036128117
- Cited by
- 323
- References
- 51
- FWCI
- 2.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
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