Animal and human RNA viruses: genetic variability and ability to overcome vaccines

RNA viruses, in general, exhibit high mutation rates; this is mainly due to the low fidelity displayed by the RNA-dependent polymerases required for their replication that lack the proofreading machinery to correct misincorporated nucleotides and produce high mutation rates. This lack of replication...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of microbiology 2021-03, Vol.203 (2), p.443-464
Main Authors: Villa, T. G., Abril, Ana G., Sánchez, S., de Miguel, T., Sánchez-Pérez, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Animals
Antigenicity
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biotechnology
Cell Biology
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Disease control
Disease transmission
DNA
DNA viruses
DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases - genetics
Ecology
Editing
Fidelity
Genetic diversity
Genetic variability
Genetic variance
Genetic Variation
Glycoproteins
Humans
Interferon
Life Sciences
Microbial Ecology
Microbiology
Mini-Review
Morphogenesis
Mutation
Mutation rates
Nucleotides
Pandemics
Replication
Ribonucleic acid
RNA
RNA viruses
RNA Viruses - enzymology
RNA Viruses - genetics
RNA Viruses - immunology
Vaccines
Viral Vaccines - genetics
Viral Vaccines - immunology
Viral Vaccines - standards
Virions
Viruses
Zoonoses
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Summary:RNA viruses, in general, exhibit high mutation rates; this is mainly due to the low fidelity displayed by the RNA-dependent polymerases required for their replication that lack the proofreading machinery to correct misincorporated nucleotides and produce high mutation rates. This lack of replication fidelity, together with the fact that RNA viruses can undergo spontaneous mutations, results in genetic variants displaying different viral morphogenesis, as well as variation on their surface glycoproteins that affect viral antigenicity. This diverse viral population, routinely containing a variety of mutants, is known as a viral ‘quasispecies’. The mutability of their virions allows for fast evolution of RNA viruses that develop antiviral resistance and overcome vaccines much more rapidly than DNA viruses. This also translates into the fact that pathogenic RNA viruses, that cause many diseases and deaths in humans, represent the major viral group involved in zoonotic disease transmission, and are responsible for worldwide pandemics.
ISSN:0302-8933
1432-072X
1432-072X
DOI:10.1007/s00203-020-02040-5