Relaxed selection and the evolution of RNA virus mucin-like pathogenicity factors.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Wertheim JO
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2668480 | biostudies-literature | 2009 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Relaxed selection and the evolution of RNA virus mucin-like pathogenicity factors.
Wertheim Joel O JO Worobey Michael M
Journal of virology 20090218 9
Mucin-like regions contribute to pathogenicity in a variety of negative-stranded RNA viruses. These regions are characterized by a preponderance of O-linked glycosylation. They evolve exceptionally rapidly yet maintain their function as pathogenicity factors. Two hypotheses have been proposed to explain this evolutionary conundrum of phenotypic stability in the face of extreme genetic divergence: strong positive selection and relaxation of purifying selection. We determined the strength and dire ...[more]
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