US-UK Collab: Transmission and coevolutionary dynamics drive the evolution of generalist and specialist viruses

多面手还是万能大师病毒在感染不同类型的生物体（包括动物、植物和细菌）的能力方面表现出巨大的多样性。有些病毒能够感染多个宿主物种，而另一些病毒只能感染一个。科学界和医学专业人士面临的一个主要的未解决的问题是，为什么有些病毒进化成专家，而另一些则是多面手？要回答这个问题，了解宿主与病毒之间相互作用的复杂性至关重要。随着病毒和它们的宿主共同进化，宿主产生抗性，而病毒反过来找到克服宿主防御的方法。病毒能否成功地与宿主共同进化还取决于环境的结构以及病毒如何在宿主之间传播。这项研究将涵盖病毒和宿主相互作用的复杂性-从基因到细胞到种群再到社区。由细菌（大肠杆菌）及其病毒组成的实验室系统将用于了解自然发生的病毒及其宿主的进化。这些实验将与创新的数学建模框架相结合，旨在弥合实验室与自然之间的差距。这项工作的结果将为决定病毒策略多样性的因素提供重要见解-这是迈向传染病生态学和进化综合理论的关键一步。这将进一步全面了解自然系统中的疾病动态，并有助于改善公共卫生举措。该项目将加强美国和英国科学家之间的合作，并培养本科生和研究生的研究。

Jack-of-all-trades or master of one? Viruses show tremendous diversity in their ability to infect different types of organisms including animals, plants and bacteria. Some viruses are able to infect multiple host species while others can only infect one. A major unresolved problem facing both the scientific community and medical professionals is why do some viruses evolve to be specialists while others are generalists? To answer this question, it is vital to understand the complexities underpinning the interactions between hosts and their viruses. As viruses and their hosts co-evolve, hosts develop resistance, and viruses in turn find ways of overcoming host defenses. Whether the virus can successfully co-evolve with its host also depends on the structure of the environment and how the viruses are transmitted between hosts. This research will embrace the complexity of virus and host interactions - from genes to cells to populations to the community. A laboratory system consisting of a bacteria (Escherichia coli) and its viruses will be used to gain understanding of the evolution of naturally occurring viruses and their hosts. The experiments will be combined with an innovative mathematical modeling framework designed to bridge the gap between laboratory and nature. The results of this work will provide critical insights into what dictates the diversity of viral strategies - a key step towards a comprehensive theory of the ecology and evolution of infectious diseases. This will further a general understanding of the dynamics of disease in natural systems and help to improve public health initiatives. The project will strengthen collaborations between US and UK scientists and train undergraduate and graduate students in research.