Possible quantum effects in viral quasispecies

The overall sequence obtained from a viral isolate, which consists of multiple copies virus particles, represents the so-called consensus sequence. However, none of the individual viral particles have the same exact sequence as the consensus sequence. The sequences of different virus particles within the give isolate are distributed around the average sequence, but every sequence is different from that consensus. Thus, in any isolate, viruses exist as a “quasispecies” each with a distinct sequence. Upon entry into a cell, each viral particle sequence undergoes different mutations leading to the evolution of the quasispecies from one passage to another. Many different mathematical models have been developed to describe both mutations and quasispecies. However, these do not directly consider quantum effects. Building on compelling experimental evidence of RNA viral quasispecies, we will present our hypothesis that a RNA is an intrinsic quantum object and cannot be treated classically. Going beyond the present “classical” notion of evolutionary trajectories, we posit that even a single viral RNA, similar to a single particle in quantum mechanics, is inherently statistical. We will present how our model is compatible with phenomena such as size-dependent differences in mutation rates and mutational waves.