title: RNA virus error catastrophe: direct molecular test by using ribavirin.
abstract: RNA viruses evolve rapidly. One source of this ability to rapidly change is the apparently high mutation frequency in RNA virus populations. A high mutation frequency is a central tenet of the quasispecies theory. A corollary of the quasispecies theory postulates that, given their high mutation frequency, animal RNA viruses may be susceptible to error catastrophe, where they undergo a sharp drop in viability after a modest increase in mutation frequency. We recently showed that the important broad-spectrum antiviral drug ribavirin (currently used to treat hepatitis C virus infections, among others) is an RNA virus mutagen, and we proposed that ribavirin's antiviral effect is by forcing RNA viruses into error catastrophe. However, a direct demonstration of error catastrophe has not been made for ribavirin or any RNA virus mutagen. Here we describe a direct demonstration of error catastrophe by using ribavirin as the mutagen and poliovirus as a model RNA virus. We demonstrate that ribavirin's antiviral activity is exerted directly through lethal mutagenesis of the viral genetic material. A 99.3% loss in viral genome infectivity is observed after a single round of virus infection in ribavirin concentrations sufficient to cause a 9.7-fold increase in mutagenesis. Compiling data on both the mutation levels and the specific infectivities of poliovirus genomes produced in the presence of ribavirin, we have constructed a graph of error catastrophe showing that normal poliovirus indeed exists at the edge of viability. These data suggest that RNA virus mutagens may represent a promising new class of antiviral drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of California, 513 Parnassus Avenue, Box 0414, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Crotty
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Andino
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D017955:Poliovirus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D012328:RNA Viruses / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D012254:Ribavirin