Experimental selection reveals a trade-off between fecundity and lifespan in the coliphage Qß

Understanding virus evolution is key for improving ways to counteract virus-borne diseases. Results from comparative analyses have previously suggested a trade-off between fecundity and lifespan for viruses that infect the bacterium Escherichia coli (i.e. for coliphages), which, if confirmed, would...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Open biology 2013-06, Vol.3 (6), p.130043
Main Authors: García-Villada, Libertad, Drake, John W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Allolevivirus - genetics
Allolevivirus - growth & development
Allolevivirus - physiology
Bacteriophage Qß
Escherichia coli - virology
Evolution, Molecular
Fertility
Genome, Viral
Phage Evolutionary Constraints
Phage Fecundity/lifespan Trade-Off
Phage Life-History Evolution
Selection, Genetic
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Understanding virus evolution is key for improving ways to counteract virus-borne diseases. Results from comparative analyses have previously suggested a trade-off between fecundity and lifespan for viruses that infect the bacterium Escherichia coli (i.e. for coliphages), which, if confirmed, would define a particular constraint on the evolution of virus fecundity. Here, the occurrence of such a trade-off is investigated through a selection experiment using the coliphage Qß. Selection was applied for increased fecundity in three independent wild-type Qß populations, and the ability of the virions to remain viable outside the host was determined. The Qß life-history traits involved in the evolution of fecundity and the genetic changes associated with this evolution were also investigated. The results reveal that short-term evolution of increased fecundity in Qß was associated with decreased viability of phage virions. This trade-off apparently arose because fecundity increased at the expense of reducing the amount of resources (mainly time) invested per produced virion. Thus, the results also indicate that Qß fecundity may be enhanced through increases in the rates of adsorption to the host and progeny production. Finally, genomic sequencing of the evolved populations pinpointed sequences likely to be involved in the evolution of Qß fecundity.
ISSN:2046-2441
2046-2441
DOI:10.1098/rsob.130043