PRE2023-InHAVEN (Biología integrativa de la relación entre la edad del huésped y la virulencia de virus de RNA) (PID2022-136912NB-I00

There is a common observation that elderly individuals are more susceptible to a variety of viral infections, resulting in higher morbidity and mortality, than juveniles. In addition, elderly show stronger inflammatory and autoimmune responses, take longer to recover from infections and are less responsive to vaccination. These are consequences of the phenomenon of immunosenescence, the gradual deterioration of the innate and adaptive branches of the immune system. Once a virus infects a host, the immune system represents the strongest selective force operating upon it and determines the evolution of more or less virulent strategies of host exploitation. Therefore, it is logical that age differences among hosts must translate in highly heterogeneous selective pressure on viruses. his heterogeneity is particularly relevan! if transmission is assortative among age classes (e.g., transmission in kindergartens/elementary schools vs in nursing homes). InHAVEN aims to explore the consequences of such segregation of subviral populations in the evolution of viral fitness and the severity of infections. To do so, it will be crucial to apply an integrative systems biology approach. We will use two well-studied experimental systems Arabidopsis thaliana and Caenorhabditis elegans, and their natural viruses, to test the same hypotheses relatad with host aging, immunosenescence and the evolution of RNA viruses.