Developments in Negative-Strand RNA Virus Reverse Genetics

Negative stranded RNA viruses are often responsible for epidemics with high morbidity, it threatened human life and livestock production, resulting economic loss. These viruses are grouped as non-segmented families: Rhabdoviridae, Paramyxovridae, Filoviridae and Bornaviridae and segmented negative stranded families: Peribunyaviridae and Orthomyxoviridae. Negative-single stranded RNA viruses replicate within cytoplasm (and nucleus) and genome replication is dependent on protein synthesis. Reverse genetic technology was firstly established for DNA viruses. To date, reverse genetics for negative single-stranded RNA viruses are widely developed, through converting RNA into cDNA to study RNA at the DNA level. A helper plasmid, that is rescued from positive-stranded RNA was used to help negative single-stranded virus replicate after cloned. For Orthomyxoviridae family (IVA) and Filoviridae family (EBOV), reverse genetic system was well-developed, comparing to another single stranded negative RNA virus: Paramyxoviridae family (PPRV). In PPRV, there is low efficiency for rescuing PPRV and not stable enough for use in research. Overall, reverse genetic systems is suitable for studying negative-stranded RNA viruses’ structure and viral genome function at the protein level, to analyze the gene expression and its pathogenesis. Moreover, it can be used for new vaccines, antiviral drugs, and control of negative-stranded RNA viruses’ development.
(INV)