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RNA Biology 2011
Topics: Genome, Viral; Periodicals as Topic; RNA Viruses; Recombination, Genetic; Transcription, Genetic; Virus Replication
PubMed: 21593586
DOI: 10.4161/rna.8.2.15663 -
Viruses Jun 2014RNA viruses are capable of rapid spread and severe or potentially lethal disease in both animals and humans. The development of reverse genetics systems for... (Review)
Review
RNA viruses are capable of rapid spread and severe or potentially lethal disease in both animals and humans. The development of reverse genetics systems for manipulation and study of RNA virus genomes has provided platforms for designing and optimizing viral mutants for vaccine development. Here, we review the impact of RNA virus reverse genetics systems on past and current efforts to design effective and safe viral therapeutics and vaccines.
Topics: Animals; Coronaviridae; Flaviviridae; Genetic Engineering; Genome, Viral; Humans; Orthomyxoviridae; Paramyxoviridae; RNA Virus Infections; Reverse Genetics; Viral Vaccines
PubMed: 24967693
DOI: 10.3390/v6072531 -
Virus Research Jan 2018It is hard to overemphasize the role that metagenomics has had on our recent understanding of RNA virus diversity. Metagenomics in the 21st century has brought with it... (Review)
Review
It is hard to overemphasize the role that metagenomics has had on our recent understanding of RNA virus diversity. Metagenomics in the 21st century has brought with it an explosion in the number of RNA virus species, genera, and families far exceeding that following the discovery of the microscope in the 18th century for eukaryotic life or culture media in the 19th century for bacteriology or the 20th century for virology. When the definition of success in organism discovery is measured by sequence diversity and evolutionary distance, RNA viruses win. This review explores the history of RNA virus metagenomics, reasons for the successes so far in RNA virus metagenomics, and methodological concerns. In addition, the review briefly covers clinical metagenomics and environmental metagenomics and highlights some of the critical accomplishments that have defined the fast pace of RNA virus discoveries in recent years. Slightly more than a decade in, the field is exhausted from its discoveries but knows that there is yet even more out there to be found.
Topics: Animals; Bibliometrics; Biological Evolution; Genetic Variation; Humans; Metagenomics; Molecular Typing; Phylogeny; Plants; Prokaryotic Cells; RNA Viruses; Terminology as Topic; Virus Diseases
PubMed: 29055712
DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2017.10.014 -
Viruses Jan 2022Several strategies have been developed to fight viral infections, not only in humans but also in animals and plants. Some of them are based on the development of... (Review)
Review
Several strategies have been developed to fight viral infections, not only in humans but also in animals and plants. Some of them are based on the development of efficient vaccines, to target the virus by developed antibodies, others focus on finding antiviral compounds with activities that inhibit selected virus replication steps. Currently, there is an increasing number of antiviral drugs on the market; however, some have unpleasant side effects, are toxic to cells, or the viruses quickly develop resistance to them. As the current situation shows, the combination of multiple antiviral strategies or the combination of the use of various compounds within one strategy is very important. The most desirable are combinations of drugs that inhibit different steps in the virus life cycle. This is an important issue especially for RNA viruses, which replicate their genomes using error-prone RNA polymerases and rapidly develop mutants resistant to applied antiviral compounds. Here, we focus on compounds targeting viral structural capsid proteins, thereby inhibiting virus assembly or disassembly, virus binding to cellular receptors, or acting by inhibiting other virus replication mechanisms. This review is an update of existing papers on a similar topic, by focusing on the most recent advances in the rapidly evolving research of compounds targeting capsid proteins of RNA viruses.
Topics: Antiviral Agents; Capsid Proteins; Humans; RNA Virus Infections; RNA Viruses; Virus Assembly; Virus Replication
PubMed: 35215767
DOI: 10.3390/v14020174 -
Viruses Feb 2021Recent research indicates that most tissue and cell types can secrete and release membrane-enclosed small vesicles, known as exosomes, whose content reflects the... (Review)
Review
Recent research indicates that most tissue and cell types can secrete and release membrane-enclosed small vesicles, known as exosomes, whose content reflects the physiological/pathological state of the cells from which they originate. These exosomes participate in the communication and cell-to-cell transfer of biologically active proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Studies of RNA viruses have demonstrated that exosomes release regulatory factors from infected cells and deliver other functional host genetic elements to neighboring cells, and these functions are involved in the infection process and modulate the cellular responses. This review provides an overview of the biogenesis, composition, and some of the most striking functions of exosome secretion and identifies physiological/pathological areas in need of further research. While initial indications suggest that exosome-mediated pathways operate in vivo, the exosome mechanisms involved in the related effects still need to be clarified. The current review focuses on the role of exosomes in RNA virus infections, with an emphasis on the potential contributions of exosomes to pathogenesis.
Topics: Exosomes; Organelle Biogenesis; RNA Virus Infections; RNA Viruses; Virus Replication
PubMed: 33567490
DOI: 10.3390/v13020256 -
Current Opinion in Virology Aug 2018Virus assembly, a key stage in any viral life cycle, had long been considered to be primarily driven by protein-protein interactions and nonspecific interactions between... (Review)
Review
Virus assembly, a key stage in any viral life cycle, had long been considered to be primarily driven by protein-protein interactions and nonspecific interactions between genomic RNA and capsid protein. We review here a modelling paradigm for RNA virus assembly that illustrates the crucial roles of multiple dispersed, specific interactions between viral genomes and coat proteins in capsid assembly. The model reveals how multiple sequence-structure motifs in the genomic RNA, termed packaging signals, with a shared coat protein recognition motif enable viruses to overcome a viral assembly-equivalent of Levinthal's Paradox in protein folding. The fitness advantages conferred by this mechanism suggest that it should be widespread in viruses, opening up new perspectives on viral evolution and anti-viral therapy.
Topics: Binding Sites; Capsid Proteins; Evolution, Molecular; Genome, Viral; Models, Molecular; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Protein Binding; RNA Viruses; RNA, Viral; Virus Assembly
PubMed: 30078702
DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2018.07.003 -
Nature Apr 2018Our understanding of the diversity and evolution of vertebrate RNA viruses is largely limited to those found in mammalian and avian hosts and associated with overt...
Our understanding of the diversity and evolution of vertebrate RNA viruses is largely limited to those found in mammalian and avian hosts and associated with overt disease. Here, using a large-scale meta-transcriptomic approach, we discover 214 vertebrate-associated viruses in reptiles, amphibians, lungfish, ray-finned fish, cartilaginous fish and jawless fish. The newly discovered viruses appear in every family or genus of RNA virus associated with vertebrate infection, including those containing human pathogens such as influenza virus, the Arenaviridae and Filoviridae families, and have branching orders that broadly reflected the phylogenetic history of their hosts. We establish a long evolutionary history for most groups of vertebrate RNA virus, and support this by evaluating evolutionary timescales using dated orthologous endogenous virus elements. We also identify new vertebrate-specific RNA viruses and genome architectures, and re-evaluate the evolution of vector-borne RNA viruses. In summary, this study reveals diverse virus-host associations across the entire evolutionary history of the vertebrates.
Topics: Amphibians; Animals; Biodiversity; Evolution, Molecular; Fishes; Genome, Viral; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Phylogeny; RNA Viruses; Reptiles; Transcriptome; Vertebrates
PubMed: 29618816
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0012-7 -
The Journal of General Virology Sep 2017The role of m6A methylation of RNA has remained elusive for decades, but recent technological advances are now allowing the mapping of the m6A methylation landscape at... (Review)
Review
The role of m6A methylation of RNA has remained elusive for decades, but recent technological advances are now allowing the mapping of the m6A methylation landscape at nucleotide level. This has spurred an explosion in our understanding of the role played by RNA epigenetics in RNA biology. m6A modifications have been tied to almost every aspect of the mRNA life cycle and it is now clear that RNA virus genomes are subject to m6A methylation. These modifications play various roles in the viral replication cycle. This review will summarize recent breakthroughs concerning m6A RNA modification and their implications for cellular and viral RNAs.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Methylation; RNA Virus Infections; RNA Viruses; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Viral
PubMed: 28869001
DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.000910 -
Virology May 2015Positive-strand RNA viruses are the most common type of plant virus. Many aspects of the reproductive cycle of this group of viruses have been studied over the years and... (Review)
Review
Positive-strand RNA viruses are the most common type of plant virus. Many aspects of the reproductive cycle of this group of viruses have been studied over the years and this has led to the accumulation of a significant amount of insightful information. In particular, the identification and characterization of cis-acting RNA elements within these viral genomes have revealed important roles in many fundamental viral processes such as virus disassembly, translation, genome replication, subgenomic mRNA transcription, and packaging. These functional cis-acting RNA elements include primary sequences, secondary and tertiary structures, as well as long-range RNA-RNA interactions, and they typically function by interacting with viral or host proteins. This review provides a general overview and update on some of the many roles played by cis-acting RNA elements in positive-strand RNA plant viruses.
Topics: Genome, Viral; Host-Parasite Interactions; Nucleic Acid Conformation; Plant Viruses; Protein Biosynthesis; RNA Viruses; Regulatory Sequences, Ribonucleic Acid; Transcription, Genetic; Virus Assembly; Virus Replication; Virus Uncoating
PubMed: 25759098
DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2015.02.032 -
Current Opinion in Virology Dec 2014Most viruses rely heavily on their host machinery to successfully replicate their genome and produce new virus particles. Recently, the interaction of positive-strand... (Review)
Review
Most viruses rely heavily on their host machinery to successfully replicate their genome and produce new virus particles. Recently, the interaction of positive-strand RNA viruses with the lipid biosynthetic and transport machinery has been the subject of intense investigation. In this review, we will discuss the contribution of various host lipids and related proteins in RNA virus replication and maturation.
Topics: Biological Transport; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Lipid Metabolism; RNA Viruses; Virus Replication
PubMed: 25262061
DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2014.09.005