DOE Joint Genome Institute

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A Natural Mechanism Can Turbocharge Viral Evolution

A genetic element that generates targeted mutations, called diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs), are found in viruses, as well as bacteria and archaea. Most DGRs found in viruses appear to be in their tail fibers. These tail fibers – signified in the cartoon by the blue virus’ downward pointing ‘arms’— allow the virus to attach to one cell type (red), but not the other (purple). DGRs mutate these ‘arms,’ giving the virus opportunities to switch to different prey, like the purple cell. (Courtesy of Blair Paul)

The Science The first step in the deadly dance between a virus and microbial cell is an embrace. For a virus with a “head-tail” morphology, this means using proteins on its tail fibers to latch onto a specific target on the microbial cell’s membrane. Two decades ago, a team discovered a group of … [Read More]

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