Selection for robustness in mutagenized RNA viruses.
Mutational robustness is defined as the constancy of a phenotype in the face of deleterious mutations. Whether robustness can be directly favored by natural selection remains controversial. Theory and in silico experiments predict that, at high mutation rates, slow-replicating genotypes can potentia...
Main Authors: | , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2007-06-01
|
Series: | PLoS Genetics |
Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC1892351?pdf=render |
id |
doaj-efd0a15096dc4e599eae73fa1e467183 |
---|---|
record_format |
Article |
spelling |
doaj-efd0a15096dc4e599eae73fa1e4671832020-11-24T21:44:32ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS Genetics1553-73901553-74042007-06-0136e9310.1371/journal.pgen.0030093Selection for robustness in mutagenized RNA viruses.Rafael SanjuánJosé M CuevasVictoria FurióEdward C HolmesAndrés MoyaMutational robustness is defined as the constancy of a phenotype in the face of deleterious mutations. Whether robustness can be directly favored by natural selection remains controversial. Theory and in silico experiments predict that, at high mutation rates, slow-replicating genotypes can potentially outcompete faster counterparts if they benefit from a higher robustness. Here, we experimentally validate this hypothesis, dubbed the "survival of the flattest," using two populations of the vesicular stomatitis RNA virus. Characterization of fitness distributions and genetic variability indicated that one population showed a higher replication rate, whereas the other was more robust to mutation. The faster replicator outgrew its robust counterpart in standard competition assays, but the outcome was reversed in the presence of chemical mutagens. These results show that selection can directly favor mutational robustness and reveal a novel viral resistance mechanism against treatment by lethal mutagenesis.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC1892351?pdf=render |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Rafael Sanjuán José M Cuevas Victoria Furió Edward C Holmes Andrés Moya |
spellingShingle |
Rafael Sanjuán José M Cuevas Victoria Furió Edward C Holmes Andrés Moya Selection for robustness in mutagenized RNA viruses. PLoS Genetics |
author_facet |
Rafael Sanjuán José M Cuevas Victoria Furió Edward C Holmes Andrés Moya |
author_sort |
Rafael Sanjuán |
title |
Selection for robustness in mutagenized RNA viruses. |
title_short |
Selection for robustness in mutagenized RNA viruses. |
title_full |
Selection for robustness in mutagenized RNA viruses. |
title_fullStr |
Selection for robustness in mutagenized RNA viruses. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Selection for robustness in mutagenized RNA viruses. |
title_sort |
selection for robustness in mutagenized rna viruses. |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
series |
PLoS Genetics |
issn |
1553-7390 1553-7404 |
publishDate |
2007-06-01 |
description |
Mutational robustness is defined as the constancy of a phenotype in the face of deleterious mutations. Whether robustness can be directly favored by natural selection remains controversial. Theory and in silico experiments predict that, at high mutation rates, slow-replicating genotypes can potentially outcompete faster counterparts if they benefit from a higher robustness. Here, we experimentally validate this hypothesis, dubbed the "survival of the flattest," using two populations of the vesicular stomatitis RNA virus. Characterization of fitness distributions and genetic variability indicated that one population showed a higher replication rate, whereas the other was more robust to mutation. The faster replicator outgrew its robust counterpart in standard competition assays, but the outcome was reversed in the presence of chemical mutagens. These results show that selection can directly favor mutational robustness and reveal a novel viral resistance mechanism against treatment by lethal mutagenesis. |
url |
http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC1892351?pdf=render |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT rafaelsanjuan selectionforrobustnessinmutagenizedrnaviruses AT josemcuevas selectionforrobustnessinmutagenizedrnaviruses AT victoriafurio selectionforrobustnessinmutagenizedrnaviruses AT edwardcholmes selectionforrobustnessinmutagenizedrnaviruses AT andresmoya selectionforrobustnessinmutagenizedrnaviruses |
_version_ |
1725909653860122624 |