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Characterization of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Strains with Adaptability

Presloid, John B.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=mco1225313889

Abstract Details

2008, Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences (MSBS), University of Toledo, College of Graduate Studies.
Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is an RNA virus commonly used for the study of RNA virus evolution. Like other RNA viruses, VSV has a high mutation rate, averaging one mutation per genome per round of replication. This high mutation rate leads to a genetically heterogeneous population; each produced virus will have at least one new mutation. This collection of mutants is termed a quasispecies. Bottlenecking of a population results in the fixation of random mutations, which are more likely to be deleterious than those that are fixed through selection. Previous studies have found bottlenecked virus strains with adaptability defects that are unable to adapt and gain fitness normally. In the set of experiments presented here, I explored the quasispecies of these adaptability-deficient strains. Plaque sizes were measured for each strain as a surrogate of fitness values, and then fitness values for at least 200 clones of each strain were measured. Results suggested a lack of robustness in adaptability-deficient strains, as these strains produced a greater amount of deleterious mutants. In addition, these strains were less able to generate beneficial mutations. A lack of robustness would explain data collected both previously and in these experiments. This could have implications in vaccine design and treatment of RNA virus diseases.
Isabel Novella, PhD (Committee Chair)
Dorothea Sawicki, PhD (Committee Member)
Robert Blumenthal, PhD (Committee Member)
88 p.
Genetics; Molecular Biology; Virology
virus; robustness; evolution; VSV; quasispecies; adaptation

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Presloid, J. B. (2008). Characterization of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Strains with Adaptability [Master's thesis, University of Toledo]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=mco1225313889

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Presloid, John. Characterization of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Strains with Adaptability. 2008. University of Toledo, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=mco1225313889.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Presloid, John. "Characterization of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Strains with Adaptability." Master's thesis, University of Toledo, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=mco1225313889

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

mco1225313889
415
© 2008, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Toledo Health Science Campus and OhioLINK.