Human Rhinovirus Diversity and Evolution: How Strange the Change from Major to Minor

Rhinoviruses are the most common causes of the common cold. Their many distinct lineages fall into “major” and “minor” groups that use different cell surface receptors to enter host cells. Minor-group rhinoviruses are more immunogenic in laboratory studies, although their patterns of transmission and their cold symptoms are broadly similar to those of the major group. Here we present evolutionary evidence that minor-group viruses are also more immunogenic in humans. A key finding is that rates of amino acid substitutions at exposed sites in the capsid proteins VP2, VP3, and VP1 tend to be elevated in minor-group relative to major-group viruses, while rates at buried sites show no consistent differences. A reanalysis of historical virus watch data also indicates a higher immunogenicity of minor-group viruses, consistent with our findings about evolutionary rates at amino acid positions most directly exposed to immune surveillance. The increased immunogenicity and speed of evolution in minor-group lineages may contribute to the very large numbers of rhinovirus serotypes that coexist while differing in virulence.See it on Scoop.it, via Viruses and Bioinformatics from Virology.uvic.ca
Human Rhinovirus Diversity and Evolution: How Strange the Change from Major to Minor
Source: Viral Bioinformatics