As I was reading this article today, I realized that for some reason I tend to prefer learning about genetic research over other sub disciplines in Biology. The more knowledge we have about the specific functions of genes, the better chance we have of curing genetic diseases.  Research into the viral mechanism is especially interesting because of the potential to use this information to cure HIV.

Whether in animals or in plants, viruses reproduce and jump from host to host.  Mutations in viral reproductive pathway genes are of interest to scientists.  A research team from Saga University in Japan studied how the Turnip Mosaic Virus (TuMV) mutated hundred and forty times to jump from its normal host, the turnip, to a new host, the radish.

Most of the mutations were found in two genes that coded for the proteins CI and P3.  These two viral proteins are known to affect plant cell genes that participate in a type of ‘immune system’, preventing viral infections. Experts say that the host proteins and CI and P3 compete.  The interactions between these proteins influence the extent and severity of the infection and determine if the virus is strong enough to infect. Viruses rely on high mutation rates in order to adapt to different environments and be able to infect different hosts. TuMV mutates particularly rapidly as its reproduction method permits numerous errors.

This study may lead to a method of blocking viral infections by determining the specific proteins that interact with CI and P3.  We may also learn how to prevent viruses from mutating in host plants so viruses cannot infect other plants. Finally, this work by Ohshima and colleagues may allow us to better understand how viruses cross species barriers – something particularly important to understand in light of H1N1 and the bird flu virus.

Discussion Question: Why is it important for a virus’s replication method to be error prone for it to efficiently infect different species successfully?

News Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100211211439.htm
Research Article: http://vir.sgmjournals.org/cgi/content/full/83/6/1511