2024-03-29T13:30:12Zhttp://digital.csic.es/dspace-oai/requestoai:digital.csic.es:10261/479262019-10-14T15:03:39Zcom_10261_103com_10261_1col_10261_356
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/47926
10.1371/journal.pgen.0030093
49547
Selection for Robustness in Mutagenized RNA Viruses
Public Library of Science
2007
artículo
Sanjuán, Rafael
Cuevas, José M.
Furió, Victoria
Holmes, Edward C.
Moya-Simarro, Andrés
2007-06
Mutational robustness is defined as the constancy of a phenotype in the face of deleterious mutations. Whether
robustness can be directly favored by natural selection remains controversial. Theory and in silico experiments predict
that, at high mutation rates, slow-replicating genotypes can potentially outcompete faster counterparts if they benefit
from a higher robustness. Here, we experimentally validate this hypothesis, dubbed the ‘‘survival of the flattest,’’ using
two populations of the vesicular stomatitis RNA virus. Characterization of fitness distributions and genetic variability
indicated that one population showed a higher replication rate, whereas the other was more robust to mutation. The
faster replicator outgrew its robust counterpart in standard competition assays, but the outcome was reversed in the
presence of chemical mutagens. These results show that selection can directly favor mutational robustness and reveal
a novel viral resistance mechanism against treatment by lethal mutagenesis.
PLoS Genetics 3/6
2007
e93