RNA viruses possess the potential for rapid evolution and serve as excellent models to test evolutionary theory. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the P gene for a larger number of diverse natural isolates of vesicular stomatitis virus reveals no evidence for a molecular clock but instead shows a stepwise evolutionary pattern unlike that ever seen before. Each step out from the tree's ancestra...

Commentary on Ge, P.; Tsao, J.; Schein, S.; Green, T.J.; Luo, M.; Zhou, Z.H. Cryo-EM model of the bullet-shaped vesicular stomatitis virus. Science2010, 327, 689-693.

Rifampin reversibly inhibits the intracellular replication of a VSV mutant, whereas a revertant variant selected from this viral population, as well as the wild strain, are not affected by this drug. Rifampin inhibits transcriptase activity of the sensitive mutant only and, consequently, total viral RNA synthesis decreases significantly in the cells.

Structures of L proteins from La Crosse orthobunyavirus and vesicular stomatitis virus reveal insights into RNA synthesis and distinctive mRNA capping mechanisms of segmented and non-segmented negative-sense single-strand RNA viruses.