Award details

Use of reverse genetics to investigate the molecular basis of morbillivirus pathogenesis

Reference	BBS/E/I/00000781
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Professor Thomas Barrett
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors
Institution	The Pirbright Institute
Department	The Pirbright Institute Department
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	83,680
Status	Completed
Type	Institute Project
Start date	01/04/2000
End date	31/03/2003
Duration	36 months

Abstract

Since the number of sequence changes between the virulent virus and the vaccine strain from which it was derived are too numerous to mutagenise individually, the project will involve the swapping of genes, or gene clusters, between the two strains. It is possible that more than one gene is involved in determining the pathogenic nature of the virus e.g. it could be a combination of genes involved in RNA transcription and replication i.e. the nucleocapsid, the phosphoprotein and the polymerase protein. This combination of genes could together determine the efficiency of replication in vivo or the interaction of one, or more, of these proteins with some essential host factors in different cell types may be less efficient. One feature of the vaccine strain is its loss of epitheliotropism and this may be the result of the inability of the virus to replicate well in these tissues. Virus replication in epithelial tissues is a major cause of clinical disease; severe stomatitis leading to anorexia and intestinal mucosal infection, leading to severe and often fatal diarrhoea. Alternatively, a restriction at the cell entry level may involve the proteins responsible for attachment and entry of the virus into the host cell i.e. the haemagglutinin and fusion proteins. Other non-structural accessory proteins, the C and V proteins, may be crucially involved in either virus replication or in helping to counteract the host cell's antiviral response to infection and these will also be investigated by creating deletion mutants.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Animal Sciences (AS)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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