Viral cystatin evolution and three-dimensional structure modelling : a case of directional selection acting on a viral protein involved in a host-parasitoid interaction

• Published in: BMC biology Vol. 6; no. 1; p. 38
• Main Authors: Serbielle, Céline, Chowdhury, Shafinaz, Pichon, Samuel, Dupas, Stéphane, Lesobre, Jérôme, Purisima, Enrico O, Drezen, Jean-Michel, Huguet, Elisabeth
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 10.09.2008; BioMed Central Ltd; BMC
• Subjects: Animals; Biodiversity and Ecology; Bracovirus; Cotesia congregata; Cystatins - chemistry; Cystatins - genetics; Cystatins - immunology; Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors - genetics; Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors - metabolism; Environmental Sciences; Evolution, Molecular; Gene expression; Genes, Viral; Host-Parasite Interactions; Host-parasite relationships; Hymenoptera; Lepidoptera; Lepidoptera - immunology; Lepidoptera - parasitology; Models, Molecular; Physiological aspects; Polydnaviridae - chemistry; Polydnavirus; Protein Conformation; Protein Folding; Selection, Genetic; Structure; Symbiosis; Viral proteins; Viral Proteins - chemistry; Viral Proteins - genetics; Viral Proteins - immunology; Wasps - genetics; Wasps - physiology; Wasps - virology; France

Background In pathogens, certain genes encoding proteins that directly interact with host defences coevolve with their host and are subject to positive selection. In the lepidopteran host-wasp parasitoid system, one of the most original strategies developed by the wasps to defeat host defences is th...