CHINHOYI UNIVERSITY OF

TECHNOLOGY

NAME: JACQUELINE MANDAZA

REG NUMBER: C14124129C
COURSE: CUBT404
PROGRAM: BSBIO
LECTURER: MR GOZHO

QUESTION:
DISCUSS THE THREE THEORIES THAT HAVE BEEN PUT FORWARD TO EXPLAIN
THE ORIGIN OF VIRUSES
A virus is a biological agent that reproduces inside cells of living hosts. Unlike most living
things viruses do not have cells that divide. The origins of viruses are unclear. Naturally
viruses seem to be organisms that are somewhere between the inert and living worlds. For
some years viruses have been considered as pathogenic biochemical entities made up of two
main elements that is RNA or DNA, nucleic acid constituting their genome and protein coat.
Viruses can be defined as non-cellular organisms that cannot survive on their own but
reproduce themselves by using surrounding environments. There is much debate among
virologist at the origin of viruses like where exactly they came from? The main hypothesis
that have been formulated are progressive hypothesis, regressive hypothesis and virus first
hypothesis.
PROGRESSIVE THEORY
It is also called the escape theory. This theory states that viruses arose from genetic elements
that gained the ability to move between cells. The escape hypothesis describes viruses as
derived from cellular RNA or/and DNA fragments such as plasmids and transpozons, which
escaped from cells. When such RNA or DNA fragments acquired protein coat they became
independent individuals capable of infecting cells from which they had escaped previously.
The progressive theory is supported by the replication of retroviruses. Julia,(2015).
Retroviruses have single stranded RNA genome therefore when the virus enters the host cell
reverse transcriptase which is a viral enzyme converts the ssRNA into double stranded DNA.
The viral DNA then moves to the host cell’s nucleus and another enzyme integrase then
inserts the newly formed viral DNA into the host cell’s genome. By so doing this there will
be transcription and translation of the viral genes. RNA polymerase of the host cell can
produce new viral copies of the SSRNA genome thus followed by assembling of the
progeny viruses and leaving the cell for the process to begin. Below is a diagram adapted
from the Nature Publishing Group Pommier, (2005) to support the theory

However, there are some shortcomings associated with this theory. One of them is that it does
not explain the structures of the viruses or virus particles. The progressive hypothesis predicts
some similarity between the cellular genes and the viral structural proteins whilst that
similarity is non existing. Only the cellular genes are existing.
THE REGRESSIVE THEORY

This hypothesis can also be called the reduction or degeneracy hypothesis. This theory states
that viruses are remnants or come from small premodial cells which lost their cellular
elements in the course of evolution, Wessener, (2010). In some cases this theory also claims
that the viruses have evolved from bacteria like Chlamydia and rickettsia species and then
later on lost their genes for survival to such an extend that they became intracellular parasites
that depended on the hosts to cater for the functions they lost. Basing on this theory,
virologists say viruses could have evolved from more complex, possibly free-living
organisms that lost genetic information over time as these became parasitic in their
replication. Viruses of nucleoplasmic large DNA viruses eg. Pox virus fully illustrate this
theory. The pox virus is very large in size (200nm wide and 300nm long) and has larger
genome size (200,000 base pairs) as compared to other viruses.
There is some evidence to support this theory. Considering the NCLDVs, virologists have
concluded that the viruses may be descendants of more complex ancestors thus supporting
the regressive theory. For some time it has been believed that there is no intermediary form
between a cell and a virus because the parasites known for the three dormains of life have
kept their cellular character: they still have ribosomes and are still able to synthesize ATP.
The reduction led to a virus emergency in a world of RNA cells and the RNA cell could have
lost its own machinery for protein synthesis and for energy production, using instead those of
the hosts. In addition to support the theory, the presence of virus hallmark genes may be
considered as evidence for their possible origin from virocells or these sequences may have
been recruited from ancient cells that are now extinct, Forterre, (2013).
It is evidenced that the human adenoviruses and Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage Ф29, use a
similar atypical protein-priming mechanism to replicate their DNA and encode a unique type
of DNA polymerase from the subfamily of polymerases B. The bacteriophage can use such a
DNA template to initiate its own replication hence this supports the reduction theory since
has no representatives in currently living cells. Laurent et.al, (2002) cited that it seems likely,
that the DNA polymerase is a viral hallmark gene in disguise, and that these two viruses
originated from a common ancestor that had existed before the divergence between Eukarya
and Bacteria.
Another strong evidence that is in favour of the regressive theory is that a small set of virus
hallmark genes encoding essential functions shared by different kinds of viruses, mainly the
positive-strand RNA are direct descendants of the primordial RNA-protein world hallmark
gene in disguise.
The hypothesis however fails to explain why even the smallest cellular parasites does not
resemble viruses in any way. There is no current evidence from the existing cells that the
transition has happened before.

VIRUS FIRST HYPOTHESIS

The theory states that viruses predate or coevolved with their current cellular hosts. The
other name for the hypothesis is coevolution theory. Several investigators have proposed that
viruses have been the first replicating entities. Koonin and Martin (2005) postulated that
viruses existed in a precellular world as self –replicating units. With time it is said that the
units became more complex and more organized and finally enzymes for membrane and cell
wall synthesis evolved hence forming cells. It is also supported by Prangishvili, et.al, 2006
that viruses existed before bacteria, Achaea or eukaryotes. The coevolution theory calims
that viruses started out when proteins and genome material mixed and they have been living
for a long timeinfecting the living cells for replicanmtion.
Diagram for the virus first hypothesis.

Adapted from Forterre, (2006)

Limitations of the virus first hypothesis

The theory fails to conform the definition viruses in that they depent on hpost cells. Viruses
are hence recognised as ancient and to have origins that predate the divergence of life into
three dormains. Viruses already existed way back when the LUCA discovered that RNA was
formed and later on formed cellular like structures therefore this contradicts with the theory.
CONCLUSION
The discovery of the three theories has now led the modern virologists to reconsider and re-
evaluate the hypothesis. It is believed that none of the three hypothesis is correct and as of
now there hasn’t been any clear explanation for the virus origins. Modern virologists say that
viruses could have arisen from mobile genetic elements that can move between cells and
became infectious agents. Some say they have descended from previously free-living
organisms that adapted a parasitic replication strategy. Researchers wish to fully understand
the origin of the viruses hence coming up with strategic skills to destroy the multiplying
agents.

References

1. David. R Wessener, (2010), the origins of viruses, Nature education

2. Forterre P, (2013), the virocell concept and environmental microbiology. ISME J.
2013;7:233–6
3. Forterre, Garrett, Prangishvili, (2006), Viruses of the Archaea. A unifying view.
Nature reviews microbiology
4. Filée J, Forterre P, Sen-Lin T, Laurent J,(2002) Evolution of DNA polymerase
families: evidences for multiple gene exchange between cellular and
viral proteins. J Mol Evol.
5. Julia Durzy ń ska and Anna Go ździcka-sJózefiak Virology Journal (2015) 12:169,
Viruses and cells intertwined since the dawn of evolution.
6. Koonin EV, (2009). On the origin of cells and viruses: primordial virus world
scenario. Ann N Y Academic Science
7. Koonin EV, Martin W., (2005) on the origin of genomes and cells within inorganic
compartments. Trends Genet.