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Measurement of the mutation rates of animal viruses: influenza A virus and poliovirus type 1.

Epidemiologic and genetic evidence suggests that influenza A viruses evolve more rapidly than other viruses in humans. Although the high mutation rate of the virus is often cited as the cause of the extensive variation, direct measurement of this parameter has not been obtained in vivo. In this study, the rate of mutation in tissue culture for the nonstructural (NS) gene of influenza A virus and for the VP1 gene in poliovirus type 1 was assayed by direct sequence analysis. Each gene was repeatedly sequenced in over 100 viral clones which were descended from a single virion in one plaque generation. A total of 108 NS genes of influenza virus were sequenced, and in the 91,708 nucleotides analyzed, seven point changes were observed. A total of 105 VP1 genes of poliovirus were sequenced, and in the 95,688 nucleotides analyzed, no mutations were observed. We then calculated mutation rates of 1.5 X 10(-5) and less than 2.1 X 10(-6) mutations per nucleotide per infectious cycle for influenza virus and poliovirus, respectively. We suggest that the higher mutation rate of influenza A virus may promote the rapid evolution of this virus in nature.

Base Sequence↗

Ross River virus disease in tropical Queensland: evolution of rheumatic manifestations in an inception cohort followed for six months.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the natural history of rheumatic manifestations of Ross River virus (RRV) disease. DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal clinical review. SETTING: North Queensland local government areas of Cairns, Douglas, Mareeba and Atherton during January to May 1998. PARTICIPANTS: General practice patients diagnosed with RRV disease on the basis of symptoms and a positive RRV IgM result. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Rheumatic symptoms and signs assessed as soon as possible after disease onset and on two subsequent occasions (up to 6.5 months after onset). RESULTS: 57 patients were recruited, 47 of whom were reviewed three times (at means of 1.1, 2.4 and 3.6 months after disease onset). Results are reported for these 47: 46 (98%) complained of joint pain at first review, with the ankles, wrists, fingers, knees and metacarpophalangeal joints (II-IV) most commonly involved. Prevalence of joint pain decreased progressively on second and third reviews, both overall (92% and 68% of patients, respectively), and in the five joints most commonly affected. The prevalence of other common rheumatic symptoms and signs, and use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, also progressively declined over the three reviews. CONCLUSIONS: Earlier studies may have overestimated the prevalence and duration of symptoms in RRV disease. Progressive resolution over 3-6 months appears usual.

Adult↗

[Evolution and ecological changes of animal viruses].

Although the origin of viruses has not yet been clarified, definite differences in evolutionary patterns have been found among RNA. Retro and DNA viruses. These differences are reflected in infectious diseases. RNA viruses, which have RNA in their genome, replicate many times over in cells within a short period of time, destroying the host cells and causing an acute infection. As the error frequency of RNA replicase enzymes is high, the rate of evolution of RNA viruses is very rapid. Retroviruses also contain RNA as their genome, but the genome RNA is reversely transcribed to the DNA in nuclei and then incorporated into the host chromosome to replicate. The error frequency of reverse transcriptase is also high, and therefore mutations easily occur as well. The transcribed DNA is integrated into host DNA in the nucleus, and it remains in the integrated state for human entire life time, causing chronic disease or developing malignant tumors. As DNA viruses except poxviruses replicate inside the cell nucleus and the error frequency of DNA polymerase is low, the speed of mutation and the degree of resulting diversity are lower than those in the case of the RNA virus. DNA viruses tend to stay inside the body for long periods of time and easily become latent. In this paper, I shall discuss 1) the nature of viruses, 2) the origin of viruses, 3) mutation and recombination, 4) diversity of RNA viruses, 5) quickly changing viral diseases, 6) eradicated viral diseases, 7) chronic and malignant diseases, and 8) control of viral diseases.

Biological Evolution↗

Molecular epidemiology of African swine fever virus studied by analysis of four variable genome regions.

Variable regions of the African swine fever virus genome, which contain arrays of tandem repeats, were compared in the genomes of isolates obtained over a 40-year period. Comparison of the size of products generated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from four different genome regions, within the B602L and KP86R genes and intergenic regions J286L and BtSj, placed 43 closely related isolated from Europe, the Caribbean, West and Central Africa into 17 different virus sub-groups. Sequence analysis of the most variable fragment, within the B602L gene, from 81 different isolates distinguished 31 sub-groups of virus isolates which varied in sequence and number of a tandem repeat encoding 4 amino acids. Thus, each of these analysis methods enabled isolates, which were previously grouped together by sequencing of a more conserved genome region, to be separated into multiple sub-groups. This provided additional information about strains of viruses circulating in different countries. The methods could be used in future to study the epidemiology and evolution of virus isolates and to trace the sources of disease outbreaks.

Africa↗

Evolution of a quadripartite hybrid virus by interspecific exchange and recombination between replicase components of two related tripartite RNA viruses.

Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and tomato aspermy virus (TAV) belong to the Cucumovirus genus. They have a tripartite genome consisting of single-stranded RNAs, designated 1, 2, and 3. Previous studies have shown that viable pseudorecombinants could be created in vitro by reciprocal exchanges between CMV and TAV RNA 3, but exchanges of RNAs 1 and 2 were replication deficient. When we coinoculated CMV RNAs 2 and 3 along with TAV RNAs 1 and 2 onto Nicotiana benthamiana, a hybrid quadripartite virus appeared that consisted of TAV RNA 1, CMV RNAs 2 and 3, and a distinctive chimeric RNA originating from a recombination between CMV RNA 2 and the 3'-terminal 320 nucleotides of TAV RNA 2. This hybrid arose by means of segment reassortment and RNA recombination to produce an interspecific hybrid with the TAV helicase subunit and the CMV polymerase subunit. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating the evolution of a new plant or animal virus strain containing an interspecific hybrid replicase complex.

Base Sequence↗

Evolution of bovine respiratory syncytial virus.

Until now, the analysis of the genetic diversity of bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) has been based on small numbers of field isolates. In this report, we determined the nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of regions of the nucleoprotein (N protein), fusion protein (F protein), and glycoprotein (G protein) of 54 European and North American isolates and compared them with the sequences of 33 isolates of BRSV obtained from the databases, together with those of 2 human respiratory syncytial viruses and 1 ovine respiratory syncytial virus. A clustering of BRSV sequences according to geographical origin was observed. We also set out to show that a continuous evolution of the sequences of the N, G, and F proteins of BRSV has been occurring in isolates since 1967 in countries where vaccination was widely used. The exertion of a strong positive selective pressure on the mucin-like region of the G protein and on particular sites of the N and F proteins is also demonstrated. Furthermore, mutations which are located in the conserved central hydrophobic part of the ectodomain of the G protein and which result in the loss of four Cys residues and in the suppression of two disulfide bridges and an alpha helix critical to the three-dimensional structure of the G protein have been detected in some recent French BRSV isolates. This conserved central region, which is immunodominant in BRSV G protein, thus has been modified in recent isolates. This work demonstrates that the evolution of BRSV should be taken into account in the rational development of future vaccines.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A further step in the evolution of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus: the appearance of the first consistent antigenic variant.

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) is a noncultivable calicivirus that infects rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and causes epidemics of an acute fatal hepatitis. In 1997 we identified two RHDV isolates from geographically distant Italian regions, which differed antigenically from the reference strain RHDV.Bs89. In fact, they were not reactive with mAb 1H8, that is able to protect rabbits from RHD and showed a low reactivity with the rabbit convalescent serum raised against RHDV.Bs89. Experimental infection of rabbits with either RHDV isolates confirmed their high pathogenicity and their peculiar antigenic profile; nevertheless, rabbits vaccinated with the current vaccine were protected against challenge infection with these isolates. Sequence comparison definitely demonstrated that the two isolates originated from the same RHDV variant and that the similarity of their structural protein (VP60) sequences with the RHDV.Bs89 is equal to 93%. This variant was named RHDVa since shows consistent genetic and antigenic differences from the wild-type RHDV. In particular, 44% of amino acid substitutions in RHDVa VP60 were located between amino acids 344 and 370, where the similarity with RHDV.Bs89 drops to 70%, suggesting that this region probably contains the epitope recognized by mAb 1H8. In addition, this paper presents preliminary data concerning the amino acids of VP60 involved in the hemagglutination site of the virus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Organization of the 3'-terminal half of beet yellow stunt virus genome and implications for the evolution of closteroviruses.

The 3'-terminal half of the beet yellow stunt virus (BYSV) genome 10,545 nt, has been cloned and sequenced. The sequenced portion of the BYSV genome encompasses 10 open reading frames (ORFs) and 241 nt of the 3' untranslated region. The sequence spans, in the 5' to 3' direction, the C-terminal region of the replication-associated polyprotein gene (ORF 1a) which includes the set of motifs typical of helicases (HEL), the entire 53-kDa polymerase (RdRp) gene (ORF 1b), and genes encoding 30-kDa (ORF 2), 6-kDa (ORF 3), 66-kDa (ORF 4), 61-kDa (ORF 5), 25-kDa (ORF 6), 23.7-kDa (coat protein, CP) (ORF 7), 18-kDa (ORF 8), and 22-kDa (ORF 9) proteins. The double-stranded RNA "replicative form" of the BYSV was demonstrated to have a nontemplate G residue at the 3' terminus of the (+) strand. The RdRp of BYSV is presumably expressed via a +1 ribosomal frameshift. The five-gene module conserved among closteroviruses was identified in BYSV; it includes a gene array coding for a 6-kDa small hydrophobic protein, a 66-kDa homolog of the cellular HSP70 heat shock proteins, a 61-kDa protein, and a 25-kDa diverged copy of the CP followed by the CP gene itself. Phylogenetic analysis of the replication-associated HEL and RdRp domains as well as proteins from the five-gene module demonstrated the closest relationship between BYSV and two other closteroviruses, beet yellows (BYV) and citrus tristeza (CTV) viruses. Like CTV, the BYSV genome contains a 30-kDa protein gene between the RdRp and the 6-kDa protein genes, and like BYV it has only two genes downstream of the CP gene. The organization of the BYSV genome appears to be intermediate between BYV and CTV, which suggests that these three viruses might represent three distinct but probably close stages in the closterovirus evolution.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Molecular epidemiology of dengue 2 viruses in the Philippines: genotype shift and local evolution.

The pre-membrane (prM) and envelope (E) genes of 41 viruses isolated from dengue fever (DF), dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) patients from 1995 to 2002 were sequenced to determine the genetic variability of dengue 2 (DENV 2) viruses in the Philippines. The envelope sequence data were compared with a global sample of DENV 2 obtained from GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that two distinct genotypes, Asian 2 and Cosmopolitan, are currently circulating locally, each with the potential to cause severe hemorrhagic disease. After the initial isolation in 1998, the Cosmopolitan genotype has gradually and effectively replaced Asian genotype 2 in the Philippines. Members of this genotype were closely related to viruses from Australia, Singapore, and Thailand.

Animals↗

Replication rate and evolution in the human immunodeficiency virus.

Population genetic and virological methods yield estimates for the mean replication rate of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) that differ by six fold. I present a simple model that can reconcile the estimates obtained from each method by considering the role of intra-host population structure on viral dynamics. The model shows how latently infected cells, which may produce only a small fraction of infective viruses, can nonetheless have an important influence on estimates of mean replication rate. This contribution of latently infected cells is most important when considering the evolution of HIV and the clinical consequences of viral evolution.

Biological Evolution↗

Role of biased hypermutation in evolution of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis virus from progenitor acute measles virus.

We identified an acute measles virus (Nagahata strain) closely related to a defective virus (Biken strain) isolated from a patient with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). The proteins of Nagahata strain measles virus are antigenically and electrophoretically similar to the proteins of Edmonston strain measles virus. However, the nucleotide sequence of the Nagahata matrix (M) gene is significantly different from the M genes of all the acute measles virus strains studied to date. The Nagahata M gene is strikingly similar to the M gene of Biken strain SSPE virus isolated several years later in the same locale. Eighty percent of the nucleotide differences between the Nagahata and Biken M genes are uridine-to-cytosine transitions known as biased hypermutation, which has been postulated to be caused by a cellular RNA-modifying activity. These biased mutations account for all but one of the numerous missense genetic changes predicted to cause amino acid substitutions. As a result, the Biken virus M protein loses conformation-specific epitopes that are conserved in the M proteins of Nagahata and Edmonston strain acute measles viruses. These conformation-specific epitopes are also absent in the cryptic M proteins encoded by the hypermutated M genes of two other defective SSPE viruses (Niigata and Yamagata strains). Nagahata-like sequences are found in the M genes of at least five other SSPE viruses isolated from three continents. These data indicate that Biken strain SSPE virus is derived from a progenitor closely resembling Nagahata strain acute measles virus and that biased hypermutation is largely responsible for the structural defects in the Biken virus M protein.

Animals↗

Evolutionary relationship between plasmids and phages: phasmid P4 as a model.

Phasmid (phage-plasmid) P4 is capable of propagating as a temperate phage, lytic helper-dependent phage, and as a plasmid (pP4vir1). Alteration of cellular growth conditions can be used to manipulate the copy number (n) of pP4vir1 from low (n = 1-2) to high (n = 30-40). The levels of gene expression of P4 in the plasmid and phage states are radically different. While there is high expression of P4 proteins in the phage state, low levels of gene expression are found in the plasmid mode of propagation thereby allowing pP4vir1 to remain intracellularly without perturbing host homeostasis. Possible evolutionary origins of phasmid P4 are discussed.

Bacteriophage P2↗

Human cytomegalovirus latency and reactivation - a delicate balance between the virus and its host's immune system.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus that still causes severe morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals. During its evolution, the virus has developed sophisticated methods to evade immune recognition and to establish life-long persistence in its host. Today, we know that the virus establishes latency in myeloid lineage cells and that the virus is dependent on immune activation mechanisms to reactivate it from latency to produce a new viral progeny. During this process, a number of viral proteins are produced that interfere with different immune recognition pathways. The current knowledge of the delicate balance between the virus' continuous existence and its host's immune system will be summarized in this chapter.

Cytomegalovirus↗

Unique pattern of convergent envelope evolution in simian immunodeficiency virus-infected rapid progressor macaques: association with CD4-independent usage of CCR5.

The rate of disease development in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection of macaques varies considerably among individual macaques. While the majority of macaques inoculated with pathogenic SIV develop AIDS within a period of 1 to 2 years, a minority exhibit a rapid disease course characterized by absence or transience of humoral and cellular immune responses and high levels of virus replication with widespread dissemination of SIV in macrophages and multinucleated giant cells. The goal of this study was to examine viral evolution in three SIVsmE543-3-inoculated rapid progressors to determine the contribution of viral evolution to the development of rapid disease and the effect of the absence of immune pressure upon viral evolution. PCR was used to amplify and clone the entire SIV genome from tissues collected at necropsy, and the course of viral evolution was assessed by env sequences cloned from sequential plasma samples of one rapid progressor (RP) macaque. The majority of sequence changes in RP macaques occurred in the envelope gene. Substitutions were observed in all three animals at specific conserved residues in envelope, including loss of a glycosylation site in V1/V2, a D-to-N/V substitution in a highly conserved GDPE motif, and a P-to-V/H/T substitution in the V3 loop analog. A cell-cell fusion assay revealed that representative env clones utilized CCR5 as a coreceptor, independent of CD4. The selection of specific substitutions in envelope in RP macaques suggests novel selection pressures on virus in such animals and suggests that viral variants that evolve in these animals may play a role in disease progression.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Evolution rate of hepatitis delta virus RNA isolated in Taiwan.

The complete RNA sequences of hepatitis delta viruses (HDV) isolated at 3 years apart from a chronic delta hepatitis patient in Taiwan were determined. The sequence analysis showed an overall evolution rate of 3.18 x 10(-3) substitutions/nucleotide/year. The evolution rates in different parts of HDV RNA varied. The hypervariable region evolved faster (4.55 x 10(-3) substitutions/nucleotide/year) than the hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg)-coding region (2.60 x 10(-3) substitutions/nucleotide/year) and the autocatalytic region (1.11 x 10(-3) substitutions/nucleotide/year). These data are compatible with the previous finding that the hypervariable region is more divergent than the HDAg-coding region and the autocatalytic regions among the HDV isolates from different geographic areas. No substitution was found in the four previously identified conserved domains of HDV RNA, further confirming their functional importance in viral replication. The evolution rate of this HDV RNA is higher than that determined from the partial RNA sequences of two Japanese HDV isolates and similar to that found in a Lebanon isolate. Further, it was found that this HDV RNA retained the same microheterogeneities at 15 nucleotide positions detected in the RNA 3 years earlier. It is concluded that HDV RNA in patients' serum is extremely heterogeneous, and that the nucleotide substitutions in certain nucleotide positions likely have conferred evolutionary advantages for HDV. Viral sequence evolution is a possible mechanism for chronic HDV infection.

Adult↗

Evolution of Soybean mosaic virus-G7 molecularly cloned genome in Rsv1-genotype soybean results in emergence of a mutant capable of evading Rsv1-mediated recognition.

Plant resistance (R) genes direct recognition of pathogens harboring matching avirluent signals leading to activation of defense responses. It has long been hypothesized that under selection pressure the infidelity of RNA virus replication together with large population size and short generation times results in emergence of mutants capable of evading R-mediated recognition. In this study, the Rsv1/Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) pathosystem was used to investigate this hypothesis. In soybean line PI 96983 (Rsv1), the progeny of molecularly cloned SMV strain G7 (pSMV-G7) provokes a lethal systemic hypersensitive response (LSHR) with up regulation of a defense-associated gene transcript (PR-1). Serial passages of a large population of the progeny in PI 96983 resulted in emergence of a mutant population (vSMV-G7d), incapable of provoking either Rsv1-mediated LSHR or PR-1 protein gene transcript up regulation. An infectious clone of the mutant (pSMV-G7d) was synthesized whose sequences were very similar but not identical to the vSMV-G7d population; however, it displayed a similar phenotype. The genome of pSMV-G7d differs from parental pSMV-G7 by 17 substitutions, of which 10 are translationally silent. The seven amino acid substitutions in deduced sequences of pSMV-G7d differ from that of pSMV-G7 by one each in P1 proteinase, helper component-proteinase, and coat protein, respectively, and by four in P3. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration in which experimental evolution of a molecularly cloned plant RNA virus resulted in emergence of a mutant capable of evading an R-mediated recognition.

Cloning, Molecular↗

An update on aspects of viral gastrointestinal diseases of dogs and cats.

Viruses commonly cause gastrointestinal illnesses in dogs and cats that range in severity from mild diarrhoea to malignant neoplasia. Perpetual evolution of viruses is reflected in changing disease patterns, so that familiar viruses are sometimes discovered to cause new or unexpected diseases. For example, canine parvovirus (CPV) has regained the ability to infect felids and cause a panleucopenia-like illness. Feline panleucopenia virus (FPV) has been shown to cause fading in young kittens and has recently been implicated as a possible cause of feline idiopathic cardiomyopathy. Molecular scrutiny of viral diseases sometimes permits deeper understanding of pathogenesis and epizootiology. Feline gastrointestinal lymphomas have not, in the past, been strongly associated with retroviral infections, yet some of these tumours harbour retroviral proviruses. Feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) may play a role in lymphomagenesis, even in cats diagnosed as uninfected using conventional criteria. There is strong evidence that feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) can also be oncogenic. The variant feline coronaviruses that cause invariably-fatal feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) arise by sporadic mutation of an ubiquitous and only mildly pathogenic feline enteric coronavirus (FECV); a finding that has substantial management implications for cat breeders and veterinarians. Conversely, canine enteric coronavirus (CECV) shows considerable genetic and antigenic diversity but causes only mild, self-limiting diarrhoea in puppies. Routine vaccination against this virus is not recommended. Although parvoviruses, coronaviruses and retroviruses are the most important known viral causes of canine and feline gastrointestinal disease, other viruses play a role. Feline and canine rotaviruses have combined with human rotaviruses to produce new, reassortant, zoonotic viruses. Some companion animal rotaviruses can infect humans directly. Undoubtedly, further viral causes of canine and feline gastrointestinal disease await discovery.

Journal Article↗

Viruses as quasispecies: biological implications.

During viral infections, the complex and dynamic distributions of variants, termed viral quasispecies, play a key role in the adaptability of viruses to changing environments and the fate of the population as a whole. Mutant spectra are continuously and avoidably generated during RNA genome replication, and they are not just a by-product of error-prone replication, devoid of biological relevance. On the contrary, current evidence indicates that mutant spectra contribute to viral pathogenesis, can modulate the expression of phenotypic traits by subpopulations of viruses, can include memory genomes that reflect the past evolutionary history of the viral lineage, and, furthermore, can participate in viral extinction through lethal mutagenesis. Also, mutant spectra are the target on which selection and random drift act to shape the long-term evolution of viruses. The biological relevance of mutant spectra is the central topic of this chapter.

Evolution, Molecular↗