Just learned that the amino acids involved in protein function are often conserved during evolution. The only region that is not structurally and functionally important is subjected to changes during evolution. If this is the case, how do viruses evolve? Is the change in viral coat protein amino acids which is one of the most crucial criteria for virus species and genera determination taxonomically not due to evolution? What probable selective pressures evolve virus coat protein and how?
Mutation is only one way that viruses evolve. Recombination, reassortment, as well as replication error are important methods of virus evolution. In the case that you mention, if viruses have a mutation in a motif, such as in the replicase or transmission motifs, it is not likely for those mutation to propagate since the mutations may be lethal and are evolutionary dead ends. Having said that, motifs make up a very small fraction of the overall genome leaving the bulk of it to be mutated. The selection pressures may include allowing a virus to infect a new host, replicate more efficiently in a current host, to overcome resistance genes or RNAi, or to be more efficiently transmitted by arthropods. Of course the opposite may be true which would lead the virus to be less fit and to "fail" in the evolutionary arms race. I am attaching this review on virus evolution: http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.phyto.35.1.191
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