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The Contribution of Viruses to Immune Systems

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The Biological Role of a Virus

Part of the book series: Advances in Environmental Microbiology ((AEM,volume 9))

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Abstract

Cellular organisms have evolved a plethora of immune systems to defend against selfish genetic elements and pathogens, including viruses. Virus-derived and virus-related sequences (such as those of mobile genetic elements) constitute a substantial portion of the genomes of all life forms. Some of these sequences mediate resistance to viruses or virus-like parasites and are integral components of many immune systems acting against various invaders (viral and cellular), such as the Rag1/2 system of vertebrates, which generates antibody and T cell receptor diversity. Recently, intimate evolutionary relationships between viral and virus-like sequences and various cellular immune pathways of both pro- and eukaryotes have been uncovered. Here, I argue that the most basic—and likely evolutionarily the first—immune system may be the superinfection exclusion (SIE) mechanism, a phenomenon where one parasitic element (a virus or virus-like entity) prevents or restricts invasion of a compartment (e.g., a cell) by another parasitic element. The SIE mechanism is still a feature of many extant viruses and the related viroids, which are putative relics of an ancient RNA world that existed before the emergence of cells. During cellular evolution, various more complex immune mechanisms fully or partially derived from viruses and virus-like element have evolved. In this chapter, I summarize the current knowledge on the contribution of viral and virus-like elements to the evolution of various cellular immune systems. The emerging picture is that many of today’s cellular immune systems have evolved from simple SIE mechanisms to highly complex defense strategies, frequently involving viral or virus-like sequences.

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Acknowledgements

I like to express my gratitude to Prof. Karin Moelling (Max Planck Institute for molecular Genetics Berlin) for ongoing support and for stimulating and fostering my interest in the topic of the viral origin of immune systems, among many others. I also like to acknowledge Dr. Günther Witzany who kindly invited me to his exciting symposia DNA Habitats and its RNA Inhabitants (2014) and Evolution—Genetic Novelty/Genomic Variations by RNA Networks and Viruses (2018) both held in Salzburg, Austria, where many of the ideas described in this chapter have been developed.

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  1. Idorsia Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Allschwil, Switzerland

    Felix Broecker

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    Christon J. Hurst

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Broecker, F. (2022). The Contribution of Viruses to Immune Systems. In: Hurst, C.J. (eds) The Biological Role of a Virus. Advances in Environmental Microbiology, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85395-2_8

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