Viral RNA and Evolved Mutational Robustness

Many properties of organisms show great robustness against mutations. Whether this robustness is an evolved property or intrinsic to genetic systems is by and large unknown. An evolutionary origin of robustness would require a rethinking of key concepts in the field of molecular evolution, such as gene-specific neutral mutation rates, or the context-independence of deleterious mutations. We provide evidence that mutational robustness of the genome of RNA viruses to mutational changes in secondary structure has evolved. Keywords: Canalization, Epigenetic Landscapes, Neutral Evolution, RNA Folding A. Wagner & P.F. Stadler: Evolved Mutational Robustness 2 1. Introduction Even the simplest known organisms consist of thousands of molecular components which form a highly integrated network of interactions. An immense number of parameters that specify these interactions have to be finely tuned to ensure survival and reproduction of a cell. With this view in mind, and considering that org..