JCV Case Study

* Flaviviruses: share a common size (40-60nm), symmetry (enveloped, icosahedral nucleocapsid), nucleic acid (positive-sense, single stranded RNA approximately 10,000-11,000 bases), and appearance in the electron microscope. Therefore, images of West Nile virus are representative for this group of viruses.

The closest neighboring gene to mine is named growth factor independent 1B transcription repressor (GFI1B), and it codes for Zinc finger protein Gfi-1b.

Hantaviruses are a genus of virus that are single-stranded, negative-sensed RNA viruses with a tripartite genome, represented by 45 different species across a worldwide distribution (Dearing and Dizney, 2010). They are pathogens primarily hosted by small mammals, in the family Muridae, with rats and mice making up the majority of these hosts. Hantaviruses first came to be known when two major disease events occurring in the twentieth century lead to the discovery of both old and new world hantaviruses (Johnson et al 2010). Old world hantavirus were first discovered during the Korean War (1950-1953) when over 3,000 U.N and Korean soldiers became stricken with hemorrhagic fever with

Where it is still unclear the origins of viruses, one thing is clear, they are a very important part of the horizontal gene transfer, which drastically increases genetic diversity.

Step 1: How will you identify the “vital” cellular protein that the virus targets for degradation? (Hint: think proteomics). (3 pts.)

This article covers the Seneca Valley Virus (SVV-001) as a hopeful for an oncolytic treatment of certain cancer types. More specifically those with neuroendocrine properties such as rhabdomyosarcoma, Wilms tumor, glioblastoma, neuroblastoma, and adult small-cell lung cancer. Each of which effect smooth/skeletal muscle cells, kidneys/adrenal glands (mainly in children), astrocytes of the brain, nerve cells of a fetus, and lung cells in adults respectively. The virus was discovered by accident in a contaminated cell culture that contained bovine serum to promote growth. The virus was later discovered to be almost exclusively found in farm animals such as cows and pigs, due to the presence of neutralizing antibodies that were later to only ever have been found in one human sample. Just as important as that, the virus only targets the cells of the above-mentioned cancers/tumors, is a self-replicating RNA virus, and its inability to infect other cells in the body all come together to result in the lysis of these specific cancer cells. These properties alone give great hope for SVV-001 as a treatment for those infected by these diseases, and prompted for more research into its medicinal possibilities.

To further prove that TRIM5α was responsible for restricting HSV replication, TRIM5α expressing HeLa (H-R) cells were used to observe whether or not there was a reduction in replication and compared it to control HeLa (H-L) cells. It was found that low MOIs resulted in successful TRIM5α restriction of replication, but higher MOIs resulted in similar results in H-R and H-L cells. The viral yield was measured on Vero cells. This is an interesting result because both the H-R cells and H-L cells could not reduce replication of the virus with a high MOI. This might have to due with the amount of TRIM5α in the H-R cells and the virus can easily overwhelm at a certain threshold.

Genera Lymphocryptovirus. (HHV-4). This virus has been known to be one of the most common viruses in humans. It may cause a host of human diseases such as chicken pox, shingles, multiple sclerosis, infectious mononucleosis, and Burkitts lymphoma which is one of the human cancers. More than ninety percent of the adult population have artificially acquired immunity

However, it is believed to have originated from Africa. The source of the virus has also been believed to be many different types of mammals. Some of these mammals include rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian rats, striped mice and primates. The exact reservoir and the nature of virus have yet to be discovered (World Health Organization, 2014).

The virus is described to be ovoid in shape with surface proteins, and targets cells in respiratory and nervous system. There were several points made here that I found to be quite accurate. For example, the virus is from recombinant bat and pig DNA, and has turned zoonotic. This is not uncommon among viruses, especially those that have to do with bats. It was also mentioned that the scientists working on the cases were having difficulty growing the virus in cells without the cells dying.

The replicative cycle of HHV8 exists as latency and lytic replication. During latency only a restricted subset of viral transcripts is expressed, (including LANA, v-FLIP, and v-cyclin) that contribute to HHV8-associated malignancies by the manipulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis (Cesarman et al., 1995; Cai

From the sequence scientists were able to determine that virus probably began its life in an animal then mutated before picking up the power to infect people.

This little package of mayhem consists of relatively few parts. A virus is simply a protein capsule called a capsid, sometimes surrounded by an envelope, containing a genome. The genome consists of nucleic acids arranged as DNA or less commonly, RNA. Dozens of variants of this fundamental arrangement exist with differences in the structure of the capsule and the arrangement of the genome. Small differences or changes in these components allow some viruses to continue to outmaneuver researchers, while millions of dollars are spent trying to understand and eliminate them.

A number of studies have supported the theory that the virus had originally occurred in animals previous to human infections.5 The MERs-CoV virus is a type of coronavirus that has been known for infecting both birds and many species of mammals. These types of infections are commonly referred to as zoonotic diseases because the pathogens are able to be transferred from animals to humans. Zoonosis can happen with or without a vector in order to spread the infection. Although the exact origin of the MERs-CoV infections is unknown, there has been convincing research performed that has found related types of coronaviruses in bats and camels. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the coronavirus is found in multiple species and can cause respiratory illness and gastrointestinal upset.

The DF-1 cell line is often used in the research of avian viruses. It is unique to the group of mammalian cell lines in that it does not contain endogenous sequences linked to avian sarcoma and leukosis, a first of its kind in continuous avian cell lines. The study of avian retrovirology relies heavily on access to a continuous cell line, and the DF-1 cell line is both continuous and non-transformed. Because the cell line lacks any sequences related to avian viruses, it is most popularly used to study the effects of these viruses on cells as they