diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 2a6a0809..a7516f71 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -1,14 +1,15 @@ -# An Atlas of Adaptive Evolution in Endemic Human Viruses +# An atlas of continuous adaptive evolution in endemic human viruses **Kathryn Kistler** 1,2, **Trevor Bedford** 1,2,3
1 *Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, United States*
2 *Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA, United States* -Through antigenic evolution, viruses like seasonal influenza evade recognition by neutralizing antibodies elicited by previous infection or vaccination. This means that a person with antibodies well-tuned to an initial infection will not be protected against the same virus years later and that vaccine-mediated protection will decay. It is not fully understood which of the many endemic human viruses evolve in this fashion. To expand that knowledge, we assess adaptive evolution across the viral genome in 28 endemic viruses, spanning a wide range of viral families and transmission modes. We find that surface proteins consistently show the highest rates of adaptation, and estimate that ten viruses in this panel undergo antigenic evolution to selectively fix mutations that enable the virus to escape recognition by prior immunity. We compare overall rates of amino acid substitution between these antigenically-evolving viruses and SARS-CoV-2, showing that SARS-CoV-2 viruses are accumulating protein-coding changes at substantially faster rates than these endemic viruses. +Through antigenic evolution, viruses such as seasonal influenza evade recognition by neutralizing antibodies. This means that a person with antibodies well tuned to an initial infection will not be protected against the same virus years later and that vaccine-mediated protection will decay. To expand our understanding of which endemic human viruses evolve in this fashion, we assess adaptive evolution across the genome of 28 endemic viruses spanning a wide range of viral families and transmission modes. Surface proteins consistently show the highest rates of adaptation, and ten viruses in this panel are estimated to undergo antigenic evolution to selectively fix mutations that enable the escape of prior immunity. Thus, antibody evasion is not an uncommon evolutionary strategy among human viruses, and monitoring this evolution will inform future vaccine efforts. Additionally, by comparing overall amino acid substitution rates, we show that SARS-CoV-2 is accumulating protein-coding changes at substantially faster rates than endemic viruses. --- -#### Link to preprint -The manucript is currently posted to [bioXriv](https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.05.19.541367v1) +#### Citation + +[Kistler KE, Bedford T. 2023. An atlas of continuous adaptive evolution in endemic human viruses. Cell Host Microbe 31: 1-12.](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2023.09.012) ---