Selection Forces and Constraints on Retroviral Sequence Variation
Abstract
All retroviruses possess a highly error-prone reverse transcriptase, but the extent of the consequent sequence diversity and the rate of evolution differ greatly among retroviruses. Because of the high mutability of retroviruses, it is not the generation of new viral variants that limits the extent of diversity and the rate of evolution of retroviruses, but rather the selection forces that act on these variants. Here, we suggest that two selection forces—the immune response and the limited availability of appropriate target cells during transmission and persistence—are chiefly responsible for the observed sequence diversity in untreated retroviral infections. We illustrate these aspects of positive selection by reference to specific lentiviruses [human and simian immunodeficiency viruses (HIV and SIV)] and oncoviruses [feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and human T cell leukemia virus (HTLV)] that differ in their extent of variation and in disease outcomes.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
REFERENCES AND NOTES
1
Wei X., et al., Nature 373, 117 (1995).
2
Ho D. D., et al., Nature 373, 123 (1995).
3
Nei M., Gojobori T., Mol. Biol. Evol. 3, 418 (1986).
4
Mansky L. M., J. Virol. 74, 9525 (2000).
5
J. L. Rohn, J. Overbaugh, in Persistent Viral Infections, I. S. Y. Chen, R. Ahmed, Eds. (Wiley, Chichester, UK, 1999), pp. 379–408.
6
Anderson M. M., et al., Science 287, 1828 (2000).
7
Jarrett O., Russell P. H., Int. J. Cancer 21, 466 (1978).
8
Donahue P. R., et al., J. Virol. 62, 722 (1988).
9
Overbaugh J., et al., Science 239, 906 (1988).
10
Temin H. M., Trends Genet. 7, 71 (1991).
11
Overbaugh J., et al., Nature 332, 731 (1988).
12
Takeuchi Y., et al., J. Virol. 66, 1219 (1992).
13
van Zeijl M., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 91, 1168 (1994).
14
Miller D. G., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 91, 78 (1994).
15
Kavanaugh M. P., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 91, 7071 (1994).
16
Cosset F. L., et al., J. Virol. 69, 6314 (1995).
17
Ina Y., Gojobori T., J. Mol. Evol. 31, 493 (1990).
18
Niewiesk S., et al., J. Virol. 68, 6778 (1994).
19
Slattery J. P., et al., Genome Res. 9, 525 (1999).
20
Uchiyama T., Annu. Rev. Immunol. 15, 15 (1997).
21
Nagai M., et al., J. Neurovirol. 4, 586 (1998).
22
Cavrois M., et al., Oncogene 12, 2419 (1996).
23
Taylor G. P., et al., J. Virol. 73, 10289 (1999).
24
Hanon E., et al., Blood 95, 1386 (2000).
25
Bangham C. R. M., Curr. Opin. Immunol. 12, 397 (2000).
26
Kannagi M., et al., Int. Immunol. 3, 761 (1991).
27
Niewiesk S., et al., J. Virol. 69, 2649 (1995).
28
Zinkernagel R. M., Hengartner H., Immunol. Today 18, 258 (1997).
29
Bush R. M., et al., Science 286, 1921 (1999).
30
B. Korber et al., in The Changing Face of HIV and AIDS, R. Weiss et al., Eds. (Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, in press).
31
Price D., et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 94, 1890 (1997).
32
Borrow P., et al., Nature Med. 3, 205 (1997).
33
Kimata J. T., et al., Nature Med. 5, 535 (1999).
34
Delwart E. L., et al., J. Virol. 68, 6672 (1994).
35
Wolinsky S. M., et al., Science 272, 537 (1996).
36
Lukashov V., et al., J. Virol. 69, 6911 (1995).
37
Hoffman T. L., Doms R. W., AIDS 12, S17 (1998).
38
Liu R., et al., Cell 86, 367 (1996).
39
Samson M., et al., Nature 382, 722 (1996).
40
McKnight A., et al., J. Virol. 69, 3167 (1995).
41
Hoover E. A., et al., J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 199, 1392 (1991).
42
M. A. Nowak, R. M. May, Virus Dynamics (Oxford Univ. Press, New York, 2000).
43
J.O. is an Elizabeth Glaser Scientist. We thank M. Emerman, Q. Sattentau, J. Weber, and M. McClure for comments on the manuscript.
(0)eLetters
eLetters is a forum for ongoing peer review. eLetters are not edited, proofread, or indexed, but they are screened. eLetters should provide substantive and scholarly commentary on the article. Embedded figures cannot be submitted, and we discourage the use of figures within eLetters in general. If a figure is essential, please include a link to the figure within the text of the eLetter. Please read our Terms of Service before submitting an eLetter.
Log In to Submit a ResponseNo eLetters have been published for this article yet.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Science
Volume 292 | Issue 5519
11 May 2001
11 May 2001
Submission history
Published in print: 11 May 2001
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Article Usage
Altmetrics
Citations
Cite as
- Julie Overbaugh,
- Charles R. M. Bangham
Export citation
Select the format you want to export the citation of this publication.
View Options
Check Access
Log in to view the full text
AAAS login provides access to Science for AAAS Members, and access to other journals in the Science family to users who have purchased individual subscriptions.
- Become a AAAS Member
- Activate your AAAS ID
- Purchase Access to Other Journals in the Science Family
- Account Help
Log in via OpenAthens.
Log in via Shibboleth.
More options
Purchase digital access to this article
Download and print this article for your personal scholarly, research, and educational use.
Buy a single issue of Science for just $15 USD.