Studies with human neonatal rotaviruses RV-3 and S12/85 and their reassortants showed that VP4 is a determinant of rotavirus attachment to and growth in Caco-2 cells. The binding of these viruses to MA104 and Caco-2 cells correlated with their growth ability. Virus sensitivity to trypsin and the VP4 fusion region may be implicated in these processes.

We recently described an assay that measures fusion from without induced in tissue culture cells by rotavirus, a nonenveloped, triple-protein-layered member of the Reoviridae family (M. M. Falconer, J. M. Gilbert, A. M. Roper, H. B. Greenberg, and J. S. Gavora, J. Virol. 69:5582-5591, 1995). The conditions required for syncytium formation are similar to those for viral penetration of the plasma...

BACKGROUND Although it is known that RNA interference (RNAi) targeting viral genes protects experimental animals, such as mice, from the challenge of Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), it has not been previously investigated whether shRNAs targeting FMDV in transgenic dairy cattle or primary transgenic bovine epithelium cells will confer resistance against FMDV challenge. PRINCIPAL FINDING ...

Several group A coxsackieviruses (A13, 15, 18, and 21), but not polioviruses or group B coxsackieviruses, are rapidly inactivated in low ionic strength solutions at neutral pH. The extent of inactivation is dependent upon temperature and molarity. Virions inactivated in this manner contain a normal complement of infectious RNA which remains in a state resistant to the action of ribonuclease. Ho...

In viruses belonging to the Birnaviridae family, virus protein 4 (VP4) is the viral protease responsible for the proteolytic maturation of the polyprotein encoding the major capsid proteins (VP2 and VP3). Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV), the prototype of the aquabirnavirus genus, is the causative agent of a contagious disease in fish which has a large economic impact on aquaculture....

In a previous study (S. Zheng, G. N. Woode, D. R. Melendy, and R. F. Ramig, J. Clin. Microbiol. 27:1939-1945, 1989), it was predicted that the VP7 serotype 6 bovine rotavirus strains NCDV and B641 do not share antigenically similar VP4s. In this study, gene 4 and the VP7 gene of B641 were sequenced, and the amino acid sequences were deduced and compared with those of NCDV and bovine rotavirus s...

We describe here the successful establishment of a reverse genetics system for rotavirus (RV), a member of the Reoviridae family whose genome consists of 10-12 segmented dsRNA. The system is based on the recombinant vaccinia virus T7 RNA polymerase-driven procedure for supplying artificial viral mRNA in the cytoplasm. With the aid of helper virus (human RV strain KU) infection, intracellularly ...

We isolated six viruses from patients diagnosed with aseptic meningitis or hand, foot, and mouth disease. The cytopathic effect of these viruses on cultured cells was like that of enteroviruses. However, viral neutralization tests against standard antisera were negative. Phylogenetic analysis with the complete VP4 nucleotide sequences of these 6 viruses and 29 serotypes of enteroviruses classif...

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to characterize 24 isolates of group C rotavirus (RV-C) by analysis of DNA sequences of the VP4, VP6, VP7 and NSP4 genes of several Brazilian states. METHODS All RV-C strains were confirmed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and were characterized by sequence and phylogenetic analysis of the genes encoding NSP4, VP6, VP4, and VP7 proteins. RESUL...

Blotched snakehead virus (BSNV) is a member of the Birnaviridae family that requires a virally encoded protease known as VP4 in order to process its polyprotein into viral capsid protein precursors (pVP2 and VP3). VP4 belongs to a family of serine proteases that utilize a serine/lysine catalytic dyad mechanism. A mutant construct of VP4 with a short C-terminal truncation was overexpressed in Es...