Domingo E, Martin V, Perales C, Grande-Pérez A, García-Arriaza J, Arias A
Centro de Biologia Molecular, Severo Ochoa, (CSIC-UAM), Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
Curr Top Microbiol Immunol. 2006;299:51-82. doi: 10.1007/3-540-26397-7_3.
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.
在病毒感染期间，被称为病毒准种的变异体的复杂动态分布，在病毒适应不断变化的环境以及整个群体的命运中起着关键作用。在RNA基因组复制过程中会持续且不可避免地产生突变谱，它们并非只是易出错复制的副产物，没有生物学相关性。相反，目前的证据表明，突变谱有助于病毒致病，可调节病毒亚群的表型特征表达，可包含反映病毒谱系过去进化历史的记忆基因组，此外，还可通过致死诱变参与病毒灭绝。而且，突变谱是选择和随机漂变作用以塑造病毒长期进化的靶点。突变谱的生物学相关性是本章的核心主题。
