Rubén González

My research investigates the fundamental principles governing host-pathogen interactions across model systems. By integrating evolutionary biology, molecular virology, and systems approaches, we uncover how viruses evolve, impact host biology, and interact with environmental factors to shape infection outcomes.

Virus evolution

Molecular evolutionary dynamics of RNA viruses: From sequence-level constraints to phenotypic adaptation under selective pressures including host responses, environmental stress, and transmission bottlenecks

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Experimental evolution of an RNA virus in Caenorhabditis elegans

Castiglioni VG et al. • Infect Genet Evol 2024 • Link

Identified genomic hotspots of nucleotide diversity important for Orsay virus evolution, establishing grounds for experimental virus evolution studies in nematodes.

A brief view on factors that affect plant virus evolution

González R^† & Butkovic A^† • Front Virol 2022 • Link

Comprehensive minireview of key factors driving plant virus evolution.

Defects in plant immunity modulate the rates and patterns of RNA virus evolution

Navarro R et al. • Virus Evol 2022 • Link

Different host defense signaling pathways constrain virus evolution in distinct ways.

Plant virus evolution under strong drought conditions results in a transition from parasitism to mutualism Commentary

González R et al. • PNAS 2021 • Link

Demonstrated that environmental stress can drive viruses to evolve beneficial relationships with their hosts, providing increased tolerance to adverse conditions.

Revisiting Orthotospovirus phylogeny using full-genome data

Butkovic A et al. • Arch Virol 2021 • Link

Updated phylogenetic analysis incorporating selection, recombination, and reassortment.

Adaptation of turnip mosaic potyvirus to a specific niche reduces its genetic and environmental robustness

Butkovic A et al. • Virus Evol 2020 • Link

Highly adapted viruses are more sensitive to random mutations and temperature changes than non-adapted viruses.

Role of host genetic diversity for susceptibility-to-infection in the evolution of virulence of a plant virus

González R et al. • Virus Evol 2019 • Link

Viruses specialize faster in homogeneous host populations but become more pathogenic in heterogeneous ones.

Mutagenesis scanning uncovers evolutionary constraints on tobacco etch potyvirus membrane-associated 6K2 protein

González R^ et al. • Genome Biol Evol 2019 • Link

Revealed evolutionary tradeoffs between within-host viral accumulation and symptom severity.

Viral impacts on host physiology

Processes and molecular mechanisms underlying virus-induced alterations in host developmental programs, metabolic homeostasis, aging processes, and other response pathways

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Viral infections reduce Drosophila lifespan through accelerated aging

González R et al. • bioRxiv 2025 • Link

Enteric viral infections trigger irreversible aging processes that persist even after infection clearance, correlating with reduced lifespan.

Persistent viral infections impact key biological traits in Drosophila melanogaster

Castelló-Sanuán M et al. • bioRxiv 2025 • Link

Comprehensive characterization of how persistent viral infections affect insect biology.

Transcriptional and hormonal profiling uncovers plant development-virus interactions

Melero I et al. • J Gen Virol 2024 • Link

Plants downregulate cell wall genes to facilitate viral spread but maintain fertility through salicylic acid-mediated resistance tradeoffs.

Host developmental stages shape the evolution of a plant RNA virus

Melero I et al. • Phil Trans R Soc B 2023 • Link

TuMV evolution differs across three developmental stages of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Viral strain-dependent impact of plant developmental stages on interaction networks

Melero I et al. • microPubl Biol 2023 • Link

Ancestral viral adaptation history influences future evolution under developmental constraints.

From foes to friends: viral infections expand host phenotypic plasticity

González R^† et al. • Adv Virus Res 2020 • Link

Review: viruses can enhance host survival under environmental stress by altering phenotypic plasticity.

Genetic architecture of host-virus interactions

Genetics and molecular basis of antiviral immunity: identification of host factors determining susceptibility, resistance, and tolerance to viral infections across model organisms

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Genetic basis of Arabidopsis thaliana responses to turnip mosaic virus

Butkovic A^ et al. • eLife 2024 • Link

Identified genetic underpinnings of plant resistance to naïve and adapted viral isolates.

Caenorhabditis elegans immune responses to intracellular pathogens

González R† & Félix M-A • Dev Comp Immunol 2024 • Link

Review of nematode responses to microsporidia and viruses.

C. elegans pharynx mutants resist Orsay virus infection

González R† & Félix M-A • microPubl Biol 2024 • Link

Identified specific mutants conferring viral resistance.

GWAS identifies Arabidopsis genes affecting TuMV infection outcomes

Butković A et al. • Virus Evol 2021 • Link

Genome-wide study revealing new host genes involved in plant defense and virus replication.

Environmental modulation of host-virus interactions

How environmental factors, both abiotic (e.g. temperature, humidity, radiation, gravity) and biotic (e.g. microbiome composition, co-infecting pathogens), shape viral replication dynamics, transmission efficiency, and evolutionary trajectories

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Microgravity and low muon radiation affect viral pathogenesis in C. elegans

Villena-Giménez A et al. • bioRxiv 2024 • Link

Space-like conditions impact fecundity and developmental success in infected animals.

Natural monobacterial environments modulate viral infection in C. elegans

González R† & Félix M-A† • PLoS Pathog 2024 • Link

Natural bacteria reduce viral susceptibility through novel DRH-1-dependent mechanisms without degrading virions or affecting nutrition.

The interplay between the host microbiome and pathogenic viral infections

González R† & Elena SF • mBio 2021 • Link

Integrative review of microbiome impacts on viral infections across pathosystems.

Other contributions

Additional research and scientific communications

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Institut Pasteur Virology Days meeting report

González R^ et al. • J Mol Cell Biol 2025 • Link

Report on the Journées Départementales de Virologie at Institut Pasteur.

Natural variation in Arabidopsis rosette area unveils new developmental genes

González R^† et al. • Sci Rep 2020 • Link

GWAS identifying new genes involved in plant growth.

The scale-of-choice effect in assortative mating estimates

Rolán-Alvarez E† et al. • Evolution 2015 • Link

Sampling biases affect observations of negative assortative mating frequency.

Exploiting model systems to understand the fundamental principles of host-pathogen interactions

Updated January 2025