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</script>Mutational (genetic) robustness is phenotypic constancy in the face of mutational changes to the genome. Robustness is critical to the understanding of evolution because phenotypically expressed genetic variation is the fuel of natural selection. Nonetheless, the evidence for adaptive evolution of mutational robustness in biological populations is controversial. Robustness should be selectively favored when mutation rates are high, a common feature of RNA viruses. However, selection for robustness may be relaxed under virus co-infection because complementation between virus genotypes can buffer mutational effects. We therefore hypothesized that selection for genetic robustness in viruses will be weakened with increasing frequency of co-infection. To test this idea, we used populations of RNA phage phi6 that were experimentally evolved at low and high levels of co-infection and subjected lineages of these viruses to mutation accumulation through population bottlenecking. The data demonstrate that viruses evolved under high co-infection show relatively greater mean magnitude and variance in the fitness changes generated by addition of random mutations, confirming our hypothesis that they experience weakened selection for robustness. Our study further suggests that co-infection of host cells may be advantageous to RNA viruses only in the short term. In addition, we observed higher mutation frequencies in the more robust viruses, indicating that evolution of robustness might foster less-accurate genome replication in RNA viruses.
Genes, Viral, DNA Mutational Analysis, MESH: Plants, [SDV.GEN] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Genetics, MESH: Genotype, Gene Frequency, MESH: Models, Viral, MESH: Genetic Variation, MESH: DNA Mutational Analysis, Biology (General), MESH: Genetic Complementation Test, Genome, Statistical, Plants, Biological Evolution, MESH: Genes, Bacteriophage phi 6, Phenotype, MESH: RNA Viruses, Research Article, MESH: Selection, 570, MESH: Mutation, Genotype, QH301-705.5, MESH: Biological Evolution, RNA Phages, MESH: Phenotype, Evolution, Molecular, Genetic, MESH: RNA, Pseudomonas, MESH: Evolution, MESH: Gene Frequency, RNA Viruses, MESH: Genome, MESH: Bacteriophage phi 6, Selection, Genetic, [SDV.GEN]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Genetics, Models, Statistical, Models, Genetic, Genetic Complementation Test, MESH: Pseudomonas, Molecular, Genetic Variation, MESH: RNA Phages, Mutation, RNA
Genes, Viral, DNA Mutational Analysis, MESH: Plants, [SDV.GEN] Life Sciences [q-bio]/Genetics, MESH: Genotype, Gene Frequency, MESH: Models, Viral, MESH: Genetic Variation, MESH: DNA Mutational Analysis, Biology (General), MESH: Genetic Complementation Test, Genome, Statistical, Plants, Biological Evolution, MESH: Genes, Bacteriophage phi 6, Phenotype, MESH: RNA Viruses, Research Article, MESH: Selection, 570, MESH: Mutation, Genotype, QH301-705.5, MESH: Biological Evolution, RNA Phages, MESH: Phenotype, Evolution, Molecular, Genetic, MESH: RNA, Pseudomonas, MESH: Evolution, MESH: Gene Frequency, RNA Viruses, MESH: Genome, MESH: Bacteriophage phi 6, Selection, Genetic, [SDV.GEN]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Genetics, Models, Statistical, Models, Genetic, Genetic Complementation Test, MESH: Pseudomonas, Molecular, Genetic Variation, MESH: RNA Phages, Mutation, RNA
| citations This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 116 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Top 10% |
