High-resolution mapping reveals the mechanism and contribution of genome insertions and deletions to RNA virus evolution.

ABSTRACT: RNA viruses rapidly adapt to selective conditions due to the high intrinsic mutation rates of their RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRps). Insertions and deletions (indels) in viral genomes are major contributors to both deleterious mutational load and evolutionary novelty, but remain understudied. To characterize the mechanistic details of their formation and evolutionary dynamics during infection, we developed a hybrid experimental-bioinformatic approach. This approach, called MultiMatch, extracts insertions and deletions from ultradeep sequencing experiments, including those occurring at extremely low frequencies, allowing us to map their genomic distribution and quantify the rates at which they occur. Mapping indel mutations in adapting poliovirus and dengue virus populations, we deter

SUBMITTER: Aguilar Rangel M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10400975 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature