Section of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
Trends Microbiol. 2011 Jun;19(6):286-94. doi: 10.1016/j.tim.2011.03.006. Epub 2011 Apr 30.
Recent studies have identified ancient virus genomes preserved as fossils within diverse animal genomes. These fossils have led to the revelation that a broad range of mammalian virus families are older and more ubiquitous than previously appreciated. Long-term interactions between viruses and their hosts often develop into genetic arms races where both parties continually jockey for evolutionary dominance. It is difficult to imagine how mammalian hosts have kept pace in the evolutionary race against rapidly evolving viruses over large expanses of time, given their much slower evolutionary rates. However, recent data has begun to reveal the evolutionary strategy of slowly-evolving hosts. We review these data and suggest a modified arms race model where the evolutionary possibilities of viruses are relatively constrained. Such a model could allow more accurate forecasting of virus evolution.
最近的研究已经确定了在不同动物基因组中保存为化石的古老病毒基因组。这些化石揭示了一个广泛的哺乳动物病毒家族比以前认为的更加古老和普遍。病毒与其宿主之间的长期相互作用通常会发展成遗传军备竞赛，双方都在不断争取进化优势。考虑到哺乳动物宿主的进化速度较慢，很难想象它们如何在与快速进化的病毒的漫长进化竞赛中保持同步。然而，最近的数据开始揭示缓慢进化的宿主的进化策略。我们回顾了这些数据，并提出了一个改良的军备竞赛模型，其中病毒的进化可能性相对受限。这种模型可以更准确地预测病毒的进化。
