Coinfection and the Consequences for RNA Virus Evolution

大多数自然感染包含多种病毒，这对病毒进化有重要影响。一方面，病毒可以在共感染过程中交换基因，从而产生可变性，使病毒能够快速进化。另一方面，在共感染期间，环境之间的竞争加剧，减缓了病毒进化的速度。这表明了一种妥协，即病毒进化为限制进入细胞的数量（以减少竞争），而不是将数量减少到一个（以实现基因交换）。鉴于病毒合并感染的广泛发生，令人惊讶的是，这种现象的成本和收益实际上尚未得到探索。这个项目的重点是利用感染细菌的病毒来解决这个问题。实验室实验将检查控制合并感染数量的病毒特征的进化，分子分析将确定负责的遗传变化。这个项目的结果可以应用于几个系统，因为病毒是动物、植物和细菌的重要致病因子。由于该项目病毒的生命周期与许多人类病毒（如流感和艾滋病毒）的生命周期相似，因此该项目数据应有助于更好地了解病毒合并感染在人类疾病中的一般作用。

Most natural infections contain multiple viruses, and this hasimportant consequences for virus evolution. On the one hand, virusescan swap genes during co-infection, creating variability that allowsrapid virus evolution. On the other hand, increased competition betweenviruses can occur during co-infection, slowing the rate of virusevolution. This suggests a compromise where viruses evolve to restrictthe numbers that enter a cell (to decrease competition) without reducingthe number to one (to achieve gene exchange). Given the widespreadoccurrence of virus co-infection, it is surprising that the costs andbenefits of this phenomenon are virtually unexplored. The focus of thisproject is to address the question using viruses that infect bacteria.Laboratory experiments will examine the evolution of virus traits thatcontrol co-infection numbers, and molecular analyses will determine thegenetic changes responsible. The results of this project can be applied to several systemsbecause viruses are important disease agents in animals, plants, andbacteria. Because the life cycle of the project virus is similar tothat of many human viruses (such as influenza and HIV), the project datashould contribute greatly to a better understanding of the generalizedrole of virus co-infection in human illnesses.