title: Evolution of RNA virus in spatially structured heterogeneous environments.
abstract: A hallmark of the infectious cycle for many RNA viruses parasitizing multicellular hosts is the need to invade and successfully replicate in tissues that comprise a variety of cell types. Thus, multicellular hosts represent a heterogeneous environment to evolving viral populations. To understand viral adaptation to multicellular hosts, we took a double approach. First, we developed a mathematical model that served to make predictions concerning the dynamics of viral populations evolving in heterogeneous environments. Second, the predictions were tested by evolving vesicular stomatitis virus in vitro on a spatially structured environment formed by three different cell types. In the absence of gene flow, adaptation was tissue-specific, but fitness in all tissues decreased with migration rate. The performance in a given tissue was negatively correlated with its distance to the tissue hosting the population. This correlation decreased with migration rate.
authors.affiliation: Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva, Departament de Genètica, Universitat de València, València, Spain.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cuevas
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moya
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Elena
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004777:Environment; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012328:RNA Viruses / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology