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Transmission bottlenecks and RNAi collectively influence tick-borne flavivirus evolution
- Source :
- Virus Evolution
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- Oxford University Press (OUP), 2016.
-
Abstract
- Arthropod-borne RNA viruses exist within hosts as heterogeneous populations of viral variants and, as a result, possess great genetic plasticity. Understanding the micro-evolutionary forces shaping these viruses can provide insights into how they emerge, adapt, and persist in new and changing ecological niches. While considerable attention has been directed toward studying the population dynamics of mosquito-borne viruses, little is known about tick-borne virus populations. Therefore, using a mouse and Ixodes scapularis tick transmission model, we examined Powassan virus (POWV; Flaviviridae, Flavivirus) populations in and between both the vertebrate host and arthropod vector. We found that genetic bottlenecks, RNAi-mediated diversification, and selective constraints collectively influence POWV evolution. Together, our data provide a mechanistic explanation for the slow, long-term evolutionary trends of POWV, and suggest that all arthropod-borne viruses encounter similar selective pressures at the molecular level (i.e. RNAi), yet evolve much differently due to their unique rates and modes of transmission.
- Subjects :
- 0301 basic medicine
viruses
Population
tick
Microbiology
03 medical and health sciences
Flaviviridae
flavivirus
RNA interference
Virology
evolution
Powassan virus
education
education.field_of_study
Phenotypic plasticity
Ixodes
biology
biology.organism_classification
Flavivirus
030104 developmental biology
Evolutionary biology
Ixodes scapularis
RNAi
Arthropod Vector
Research Article
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 20571577
- Volume :
- 2
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Virus Evolution
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....2b4a18df32d87de93fd0be8afaeaf77e