Quasispecies and RNA Virus Evolution: Principles and Consequences
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Edited By:Esteban DomingoISBN: 978-1-58706-077-9 Published: 2000-12-01 This book may be purchased as an eBook (pdf) for $59, or individual chapters (pdf) may be purchased from the list below for $19. |
This book focuses on a new aspect of RNA virology: the highly dynamic, heterogeneous and plastic nature of RNA viruses which comprise more than 75% of the viruses that have been recognized as disease agents. It is the first attempt to bridge the gap from the basic, theoretical formulations underlying error-prone replications and generation of quasispecies, to their impact on how RNA viruses adapt and cause disease.
Chapters available from this book
Quantitative Molecular Evolution
E.Domingo, C.K. Biebricher, M. Eigen, J.J. Holland
Darwinian evolution, instrumental in the qualitative description of many phenomena in Biology, can and should also be formulated quantitatively. Darwin himself cited the population growth law described by Thomas R. Malthus in An Essay on the Principle of Population G...
Connections, Implications and Prospects
E.Domingo, C.K. Biebricher, M. Eigen, J.J. Holland
Viruses undergo genetic change in each infected individual, pushed by mutational pressure and guided by the interplay between positive and negative selection, as discussed in preceding Chapters. The next step into the process of long-term evolution of viruses is transmission from an infected ho...
Population Dynamics and Virus Adaptability
E.Domingo, C.K. Biebricher, M. Eigen, J.J. Holland
The meaning of fitness of living organisms has evolved since the time of Darwin (Reznick and Travis, 1996). The concept has broadened from referring to the survival of an individual to meaning its lifetime reproductive success. The latter, in turn, encompasses a number of elements su...
Experimental Studies on Viral Quasispecies
E.Domingo, C.K. Biebricher, M. Eigen, J.J. Holland
In contrast to replication of simple, noninfectious RNA molecules in vitro analyzed in the previous Chapter, multiplication of infectious virus necessitates a concatenation of steps from entry into a cell until the release of progeny particles (Chapter 2). Each of the specific steps in the virus...
Darwinian Evolution of RNA in Vitro
E.Domingo, C.K. Biebricher, M. Eigen, J.J. Holland
In the previous Chapter we described how quantitative measurements have led to studies of Darwinian evolution in action. Simplifications and abstractions were required, and experimental systems in which reproducible and constant environmental conditions can be established are of great ...
Molecular Recognition and Replication Enzymes
Esteban Domingo, Christof K. Biebricher, Manfred Eigen and John J. Holland.
The special chemistry of life is centrally governed by special biomacromolecules. These are built up as linear polymers from monomeric subunits: The key biopolymers are nucleic acids (deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA and ribonucleic acid or RNA) and proteins. Quite in contrast to industr...
Multiplication Strategies of RNA Genetic Elements
Esteban Domingo, Christof K. Biebricher, Manfred Eigen and John J. Holland.
The main steps in the life cycle of a virus are (Figure. 2.1): receptor and coreceptor recognition at the cell surface, entry into the cell, uncoating and release of the genetic material, viral gene expression, viral genome replication, assembly of progeny particles, and exit from ...
Introduction
Esteban Domingo, Christof K. Biebricher, Manfred Eigen and John J. Holland.
It has always been the main aim of human intelligence to attempt to understand the bewildering diversity of the environment by recognising patterns and regularities of events. It is thus no accident that one of the first objects of scientific observation was the starred night sky: it ...
