REPEATED TRANSFER OF SMALL RNA VIRUS POPULATIONS LEADING TO BALANCED FITNESS WITH INFREQUENT STOCHASTIC DRIFT

Citation
Is. Novella et al., REPEATED TRANSFER OF SMALL RNA VIRUS POPULATIONS LEADING TO BALANCED FITNESS WITH INFREQUENT STOCHASTIC DRIFT, MGG. Molecular & general genetics, 252(6), 1996, pp. 733-738
Citations number
48
Categorie Soggetti
Genetics & Heredity",Biology
ISSN journal
00268925
Volume
252
Issue
6
Year of publication
1996
Pages
733 - 738
Database
ISI
SICI code
0026-8925(1996)252:6<733:RTOSRV>2.0.ZU;2-G
Abstract
The population dynamics of RNA viruses have an important influence on fitness variation and, in consequence, on the adaptative potential and virulence of this ubiquitous group of pathogens. Earlier work with ve sicular stomatitis virus showed that large population transfers were r eproducibly associated with fitness increases, whereas repeated transf ers from plaque to plaque (genetic bottlenecks) lead to losses in fitn ess. We demonstrate here that repeated five-plaque to five-plaque pass age series yield long-term fitness stability, except for occasional st ochastic fitness jumps. Repeated five-plaque passages regularly altern ating with two consecutive large population transmissions did not caus e fitness losses, but did limit the size of fitness gains that would o therwise have occurred. These results underscore the profound effects of bottleneck transmissions in virus evolution.