Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, 601 E. John St, Urbana, IL 61801, USA.
Division Infection & Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK.
Viruses. 2022 Apr 28;14(5):916. doi: 10.3390/v14050916.
Genetic recombination in RNA viruses is an important evolutionary mechanism. It contributes to population diversity, host/tissue adaptation, and compromises vaccine efficacy. Both the molecular mechanism and initial products of recombination are relatively poorly understood. We used an established poliovirus-based in vitro recombination assay to investigate the roles of sequence identity and RNA structure, implicated or inferred from an analysis of circulating recombinant viruses, in the process. In addition, we used next-generation sequencing to investigate the early products of recombination after cellular coinfection with different poliovirus serotypes. In independent studies, we find no evidence for a role for RNA identity or structure in determining recombination junctions location. Instead, genome function and fitness are of greater importance in determining the identity of recombinant progeny. These studies provide further insights into this important evolutionary mechanism and emphasize the critical nature of the selection process on a mixed virus population.
RNA 病毒中的基因重组是一种重要的进化机制。它有助于群体多样性、宿主/组织适应，并影响疫苗的效果。重组的分子机制和初始产物都相对不太了解。我们使用已建立的基于脊髓灰质炎病毒的体外重组测定法来研究序列同一性和 RNA 结构的作用，这些作用是从对循环重组病毒的分析中推断或暗示的。此外，我们使用下一代测序技术来研究不同脊髓灰质炎病毒血清型细胞共感染后的重组早期产物。在独立的研究中，我们没有发现 RNA 同一性或结构在决定重组连接点位置方面的作用的证据。相反，基因组功能和适应性在决定重组后代的身份方面更为重要。这些研究进一步深入了解了这一重要的进化机制，并强调了选择过程对混合病毒群体的关键性。
