. Earth Science News .
Animals Can Change Genes Quickly To Keep Up With Viral Ingenuity

A Drosophila Fruit Fly.
by Staff Writers
Edinburgh, UK (SPX) Mar 21, 2006
Viruses are famous for evolving quickly, but the organisms they infect can't be expected to sit idly by. There is now new evidence that animals in fact do an impressive job of keeping up in the ongoing evolutionary arms race between viruses and their hosts.

Studying a special class of genes thought to have evolved in part as a defense system against viruses, researchers have found evidence that these genes are indeed among the fastest-evolving in the genome of the fruit fly, Drosophila. The work is reported by University of Edinburgh researchers Dr. Darren Obbard and Dr. Tom Little and colleagues and appears in the March 21st issue of Current Biology.

Viruses hijack the cells of other organisms, using them as factories to copy themselves. Animals and plants have a number of different locks and codes that help to keep the viruses out, but viruses are capable of evolving new ways of breaking the codes extremely quickly. The new research shows that genes controlling a part of the immune system that fights viruses actually evolve much faster than almost all other genes, evidence of the host's evolutionary race to keep the viruses at bay.

In their research, the scientists found evidence that some genes that participate in so-called RNAi mechanisms evolve much faster than the vast majority of other genes in the fly's genome. This is relevant for the virus-host arms race because RNAi pathways--which exist in both plants and animals--participate in molecular defenses against viruses by homing in on viral genetic material and directing its enzymatic destruction.

Viruses can evolve quickly to out-maneuver RNAi mechanisms, but hosts would be expected to rapidly evolve countermeasures of their own to resist new viral strategies. The new research provides evidence for such rapid evolution of some RNAi genes: The researchers found that some RNAi components evolve far faster than 97% of all other fruit fly genes. This rapid evolution illustrates the vital role of RNAi in antiviral defense, and it shows that these genes can be central players in the evolution of host organisms in response to the ever-changing strategies of viral attacks.

Related Links
University of Edinburgh
Current Biology

Tanzanian President Bans Deforestation To Save Kilimanjaro
Arusha, Tanzania (AFP) Mar 21, 2006
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete on Monday banned tree felling and harvesting of timber in reserved forest areas in a move aimed at halting rapid environmental degradation, including melting of ice on Mount Kilimanjaro.







  • Louisiana Selects SGI For Storm Modeling And Visualization
  • Search For Katrina's Dead Stymied By Bureaucratic Wrangling
  • China Offers Bangladesh River Data For Flood Forecasts
  • Thailand To Make Evacuation Plans After Underwater Tremors

  • Tiny 'Cages' That Trap Carbon Dioxide Could Help Stop Climate Change
  • Strong Storms Linked With Rising Sea Surface Temperatures
  • Snow Thickness Data Key To Understanding Polar Climate Wildlife Habitats
  • Greenhouse Theory Smashed By Biggest Stone

  • FluWrap: Deadly Strain Divides
  • Satellite Flood Mapping Service Strengthens Eastern France Civil Protection
  • Scientists Use Satellites To Detect Deep-Ocean Whirlpools
  • GeoEye Receives Additional Awards Totaling $13 Million From The NGA

  • Journal Of Industrial Ecology Focuses On Eco-Efficiency
  • USC, Rice To Develop Bacteria-Powered Fuel Cells
  • Book Offers A Viable Alternative To Fossil Fuel
  • Price Of Processing Ultra-Clean Coal Gets Economical

  • Minor Mutations In Avian Flu Virus Increase Chances Of Human Infection
  • Emerging Disease Risks Prompt Scientists To Call
  • Evolution In Action: Why Some Viruses Jump Species
  • Creation Of Antibiotic In Test Tube Looks To Better Antibiotics

  • Visualizing Viruses
  • Behavioral Studies Show UV Contributes To Marsupial Color Vision
  • How Flowers Changed The World
  • Rhinos Clinging To Survival In The Heart Of Borneo

  • Hong Kong Pollution Leaves Tourists Choking
  • Reducing Soot Particles Is Associated With Longer Lives
  • Metabolites Of Pharmaceuticals Identified In Wastewater
  • Pollution Trackers Hit The Road To Pinpoint Airborne Culprits

  • Aggression-Related Gene Weakens Brain's Impulse Control Circuits
  • Aging Japan Building Robots To Look After Elderly
  • 'Wild' Play As A Child Breeds Respect For Environment In Adults
  • Most Human Chimp Differences Due To Gene Regulation Not Genes

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement