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Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes: A Functional Genomics Tool for the Study of Positive-strand RNA Viruses
Published on: December 29, 2015
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Coronavirus reverse genetic systems: infectious clones and replicons.
Fernando Almazán1, Isabel Sola1, Sonia Zuñiga1
1Department of Molecular and Cell Biology. Centro Nacional de Biotecnología (CNB-CSIC), Campus Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Darwin 3, Cantoblanco, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
Virus Research
|June 17, 2014
Summary
Developing reverse genetic systems for coronaviruses (CoVs) is challenging due to genome size and instability. This review discusses alternative methods for CoV genetic manipulation, focusing on SARS-CoV.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Coronaviruses (CoVs) cause significant human and animal diseases, including respiratory and neurological conditions.
- Developing reverse genetic systems for CoVs is hindered by large genome size and replicase gene instability.
- Existing methods for smaller RNA viruses are not directly applicable to CoVs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and discuss various reverse genetic systems developed for coronaviruses.
- To highlight challenges and alternative approaches for CoV genetic manipulation.
- To focus on systems applicable to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV).
Main Methods:
- Review of literature on reverse genetics systems for coronaviruses over the past 13 years.
- Comparative analysis of different approaches, including non-plasmid-based methods.
- Discussion of specific challenges related to CoV genome characteristics.
Main Results:
- Several alternative reverse genetic systems have been established to overcome limitations of conventional plasmid-based methods.
- These systems facilitate the study and manipulation of CoV genomes.
- Specific attention is given to systems suitable for SARS-CoV.
Conclusions:
- Despite challenges, advancements in reverse genetics have been made for coronaviruses.
- Alternative strategies are crucial for developing effective tools for CoV research.
- Further development of these systems is essential for understanding and combating CoV diseases.
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