Viral fitness predicts the magnitude and direction of perturbations in the infected host transcriptome

Héctor Cervera; Silvia Ambrós; Guillermo P. Bernet; Guillermo Rodrigo; Santiago F. Elena

Altogether, the results reported in this study illustrate the complex interaction between viruses and their native host plants, and how the outcome of this interaction, in terms of viral replication and accumulation, correlates with the expression of host genes (Fig. 8A ). Our observation that viral fitness indeed correlates positively or negatively with the expression of certain genes is of particular interest. By simply measuring the fitness of the virus infecting a given host, we may predict the whole genomic profile of the host cell to characterize its state (molecular impact of infection). Moreover, by specifically targeting host genes that are essential for high fitness virus variants but not for milder ones, we may prevent the spreading of the former variants, while still allowing mild variants to replicate and, perhaps, act as attenuated vaccines that enhance the antiviral response of the plant.