Effects of host-use traits on RNA virus evolvability

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Whereas some viruses can easily shift to infect new host populations, other viruses remain confined to their original host. This research examines the environmental factors that cause viruses to be specialists that infect few hosts or generalists that attack a variety of hosts. This goal is accomplished using experimental evolution of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus in laboratory culture. The first major objective is to determine how virus traits evolve when viruses adapt to using single versus multiple hosts, especially whether evolution is constrained such that some traits must be modified by natural selection before others can undergo change. The second major objective is to determine whether specialist and generalist viruses differ in their probability of evolving to emerge on new hosts such as humans, and whether adaptations specifically for surviving outside of hosts alter the likelihood of successfully infecting new hosts. The project results can be applied to several systems because viruses are important disease agents in wild and domesticated populations of animals and plants. The project virus resembles many vector-borne human viruses (such as West Nile Fever Virus); thus, the project should help elucidate environmental factors promoting viral host shifts into human populations. The project will involve the training of undergraduate students and outreach to the New Haven Public Schools with a particular focus on recruiting and mentoring minority students.