The role of spatial structure in the evolution of viral innate immunity evasion: A diffusion-reaction cellular automaton model.

ABSTRACT: Most viruses have evolved strategies for preventing interferon (IFN) secretion and evading innate immunity. Recent work has shown that viral shutdown of IFN secretion can be viewed as a social trait, since the ability of a given virus to evade IFN-mediated immunity depends on the phenotype of neighbor viruses. Following this idea, we investigate the role of spatial structure in the evolution of innate immunity evasion. For this, we model IFN signaling and viral spread using a spatially explicit approximation that combines a diffusion-reaction model and cellular automaton. Our results indicate that the benefits of preventing IFN secretion for a virus are strongly determined by spatial structure through paracrine IFN signaling. Therefore, innate immunity evasion can evolve as a cooperative o

SUBMITTER: Segredo-Otero E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7034925 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature