Skip to main content
Article
The Evolution of Molecular Compatibility between Bacteriophage ΦX174 and its Host
Scientific Reports
  • Alexander Kula, Loyola University Chicago
  • Joseph Saelens, Loyola University Chicago
  • Jennifer Cox, Loyola University Chicago
  • Alyxandria M. Schubert, Loyola University Chicago
  • Michael Travisano, University of Minnesota
  • Catherine Putonti, Loyola University Chicago
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-29-2018
Pages
1-11
Disciplines
Abstract

Viruses rely upon their hosts for biosynthesis of viral RNA, DNA and protein. This dependency frequently engenders strong selection for virus genome compatibility with potential hosts, appropriate gene regulation and expression necessary for a successful infection. While bioinformatic studies have shown strong correlations between codon usage in viral and host genomes, the selective factors by which this compatibility evolves remain a matter of conjecture. Engineered to include codons with a lesser usage and/or tRNA abundance within the host, three different attenuated strains of the bacterial virus ФX174 were created and propagated via serial transfers. Molecular sequence data indicate that biosynthetic compatibility was recovered rapidly. Extensive computational simulations were performed to assess the role of mutational biases as well as selection for translational efficiency in the engineered phage. Using bacteriophage as a model system, we can begin to unravel the evolutionary processes shaping codon compatibility between viruses and their host.

Comments

Author Posting. © The Authors 2018. This article is posted here by permission of Springer Nature for personal use, not for redistribution. The article was published in Scientific Reports, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25914-7

Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Citation Information
Alexander Kula, Joseph Saelens, Jennifer Cox, Alyxandria M. Schubert, et al.. "The Evolution of Molecular Compatibility between Bacteriophage ΦX174 and its Host" Scientific Reports Vol. 8 (2018)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/catherine-putonti/93/