Since their discovery in the late 1800s, viruses have been considered simple organisms largely incapable of communication. But today’s virologists have changed their tune; now, leading researchers in the field believe that viruses do, in fact, communicate with one another, with some even finding ways to “cheat” to get ahead. As explained in a recent article published in Quanta Magazine, the field of “sociovirology” — a subset of virology dedicated to the social behavior of viruses — is still new. However, exploring sociovirology could have profound effects for the field, allowing researchers to fight back against viral agents of all kinds. Read on to find out more about communication between viruses, and how understanding it could impact virology as a whole.
How Do Viruses Communicate?
Early research into viral activity led researchers to assume that viruses were solitary particles, drifting about and replicating only through chance encounters with compatible cells. But recent discoveries, including those outlined in Quanta Magazine, show that viruses may operate using a more complex social strategy. Not only can viruses exchange genetic material, but also they can cooperate, compete, and even evolve using calculated survival strategies. In the article, Quanta reporter Carl Zimmer uses one unusual behavior as an example of these pathogens’ sophisticated capabilities: cheating.
What ‘Cheating’ Viruses Mean for Virology
In the article, Zimmer cites “incomplete” viruses — viruses that cannot self-replicate and, therefore, have not finished developing — as an example of sociovirology. Incomplete viruses are extremely common in patients with illnesses including measles, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). While incomplete viruses can infiltrate cells, they cannot replicate on their own. Therefore, in order to replicate, they have to take advantage of their functional counterparts — in other words, “cheating.” If a functional virus shows up in a cell alongside an incomplete virus, the incomplete virus can actually borrow the other virus’s polymerases, which are used to copy viral genes. This sort of behavior would have been unfathomable with the previously reductive understanding of viral agents as unsophisticated pathogens.
Cooperative Behavior and Further Research
Not all incomplete viruses are cheaters by nature. Researchers suggest that some incomplete viruses can help support complete viruses, helping them thrive in the cell structure. The exact mechanism of that cooperation remains unclear; sociovirologists still need to determine the frequency of both cheating and cooperation in the viral world and discover why some incomplete viruses may exhibit one or both of these behaviors. Additionally, sociovirologists still have a surface-level understanding of viral communication, making it possible that positive or community-oriented behavior could be mislabeled as cheating. Either way, further research is critical.
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While these findings highlight the need for a deeper understanding of virus interactions, sociovirologists have an admirable end goal: investigating whether evolutionary biology and behavioral research can aid in the fight against disease. With further research, sociovirologists may be able to identify potential vulnerabilities in viruses, “turning the tables” on harmful pathogens.
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