Mutational and fitness landscapes of an RNA virus revealed through population sequencing.

ABSTRACT: RNA viruses exist as genetically diverse populations. It is thought that diversity and genetic structure of viral populations determine the rapid adaptation observed in RNA viruses and hence their pathogenesis. However, our understanding of the mechanisms underlying virus evolution has been limited by the inability to accurately describe the genetic structure of virus populations. Next-generation sequencing technologies generate data of sufficient depth to characterize virus populations, but are limited in their utility because most variants are present at very low frequencies and are thus indistinguishable from next-generation sequencing errors. Here we present an approach that reduces next-generation sequencing errors and allows the description of virus populations with unprecedented acc

SUBMITTER: Acevedo A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4111796 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature