Variability in the Mutation Rates of RNA Viruses

ABSTRACT: 

It is well established that RNA viruses show extremely high mutation rates, but less attention has been paid to the fact that their mutation rates also vary strongly, from 10^-6 to 10^-4 substitutions per nucleotide per cell infection. The causes explaining this variability are still poorly understood, but candidate factors are the viral genome size and polarity, host-specific gene expression patterns, or the intracellular environment. Differences between animal and plant viruses, or between arthropod-borne and directly transmitted viruses have also been postulated. Finally, RNA viruses may be able to regulate the rate at which new mutations spread in the population by modifying features of the viral infection cycle, such as lysis time.

KEYWORDS:

• genome polarity
• genome size
• host species
• mutation rate
• replication mode
• ribovirus

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was financially supported by the European Research Council (ERC-2011-StG-281191-VIRMUT). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was financially supported by the European Research Council (ERC-2011-StG-281191-VIRMUT). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.