Genetic and phenotypic changes to Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus following treatment with β-D-N4-hydroxycytidine, an RNA mutagen.

ABSTRACT: The high mutation rate of RNA viruses provides viral populations with the ability to adapt to new environments but also makes them vulnerable to extinction due to the deleterious effects of mutations, which is the conceptual basis for the antiviral activity of RNA mutagens. However, there are still gaps in the quantitative understanding of the dynamics between the mutations induced by an RNA mutagen and its effects on viral fitness. To address this, we used Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus (VEEV) and the potent RNA mutagen β-d-N4-hydroxycytidine (NHC) as a model to analyze virus replication competency and mutation frequency following treatment in the total and replication-competent viral populations separately. We found that NHC induced transition mutations in a concentration dependent

SUBMITTER: Alejandro B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11502654 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature