Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Ribavirin causes error catastrophe during Hantaan virus replication.

William E Severson1, Connie S Schmaljohn, Ali Javadian

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces 88003, USA.

Journal of Virology
|December 13, 2002
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Exosome-mediated antiviral testing system and identification of Punicalagins and Anthocyanidins as promising antiviral agents against SARS-CoV-2.

Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie·2026
Same author

Purifying selection constrains the evolution of Juquitiba virus in wild Oligoryzomys nigripes communities.

PLoS pathogens·2026
Same author

Restructuring Antiviral Quinazolinone Frameworks to Derive and Optimize Inhibitors of Chikungunya Virus.

ACS medicinal chemistry letters·2025
Same author

Pathogenicity and virulence of Rodent-Borne Orthohantaviruses.

Virulence·2025
Same author

Long-Circulating Nanobody Confers Durable Prophylaxis against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Omicron Infection.

Advanced nanobiomed research·2025
Same author

The Intersection of SARS-CoV-2 and Diabetes.

Microorganisms·2025

Ribavirin inhibits Hantaan virus (HTNV) by causing widespread mutations in viral RNA, leading to non-functional transcripts and preventing viral protein synthesis. This "error catastrophe" is the likely mechanism of action for this antiviral drug.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Drug Discovery

Background:

  • Hantaviral diseases pose a significant threat, with ribavirin being the only identified antiviral treatment.
  • The precise mechanism by which ribavirin inhibits Hantaan virus (HTNV) remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanism of action of ribavirin in inhibiting HTNV replication.
  • To investigate the effects of ribavirin on viral RNA, protein production, and infectious particle formation in HTNV-infected cells.

Main Methods:

  • HTNV-infected Vero E6 cells were treated with ribavirin and monitored for viral RNA, protein, and infectious particle levels over three days.
  • Immunohistochemistry was used to detect viral proteins (nucleocapsid, G1, G2).
  • S-segment cRNA/mRNA from treated and untreated cells was cloned and sequenced to assess mutation frequency.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Ribavirin treatment initially reduced viral RNA and mRNA levels, with mRNA showing sustained reduction.
  • Key viral proteins (N, G1, G2) were undetectable in ribavirin-treated cells.
  • Sequencing revealed a high mutation frequency (9.5/1,000 nucleotides) in viral RNA synthesized in the presence of ribavirin, indicating non-functional transcripts.

Conclusions:

  • Ribavirin's antiviral effect against HTNV is attributed to inducing an "error catastrophe" by challenging the fidelity of the hantavirus polymerase.
  • This mechanism results in the synthesis of non-functional viral RNA transcripts, ultimately inhibiting viral replication.