Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Vaccinia Virus Infection & Temporal Analysis of Virus Gene Expression: Part 1
Published on: April 8, 2009
Analysis of the monkeypox virus genome
S N Shchelkunov1, A V Totmenin, P F Safronov
1State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology Vector, Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Region, Russia.
Abstract:
Monkeypox virus (MPV) belongs to the orthopoxvirus genus of the family Poxviridae, is endemic in parts of Africa, and causes a human disease that resembles smallpox. The 196,858-bp MPV genome was analyzed with regard to structural features and open reading frames. Each end of the genome contains an identical but oppositely oriented 6379-bp terminal inverted repetition, which similar to that of other orthopoxviruses, includes a putative telomere resolution sequence and short tandem repeats. Computer-assisted analysis was used to identify 190 open reading frames containing >/=60 amino acid residues. Of these, four were present within the inverted terminal repetition. MPV contained the known essential orthopoxvirus genes but only a subset of the putative immunomodulatory and host range genes. Sequence comparisons confirmed the assignment of MPV as a distinct species of orthopoxvirus that is not a direct ancestor or a direct descendent of variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox.
Related Concept Videos
Genomic DNA in Eukaryotes
Viral Structure
Size and Structure of Viral Genomes
Viruses with RNA Genomes
Smallpox
Inhibitors of Virion Maturation and Assembly

