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Development of Recombinant Arenavirus-Based Vaccines
Luis Martínez-Sobrido1, Juan Carlos de la Torre2
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA. luis_martinez@urmc.rochester.edu.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|April 5, 2017
Summary
Reverse genetics for arenaviruses enables studying virus biology and developing drugs and vaccines. This chapter details using plasmid-based reverse genetics to create tri-segmented (r3) arenaviruses for vaccine vector applications.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Arenavirus reverse genetics offers powerful tools for studying viral molecular and cell biology.
- Cell-based minigenome systems facilitate the identification of viral replication factors and drug targets without live viruses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the implementation of plasmid-based reverse genetics techniques.
- To detail the development of tri-segmented (r3) arenaviruses expressing foreign genes of interest (GOI).
- To explore the application of these modified arenaviruses as vaccine vectors.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing cell-based minigenome systems for studying cis- and trans-acting factors.
- Rescuing infectious arenaviruses from cloned cDNAs with specific mutations.
- Generating tri-segmented (r3) arenaviruses expressing foreign genes of interest (GOI).
Main Results:
- Arenavirus reverse genetics enables investigation of virus-host interactions and pathogenesis.
- Facilitates drug screening and development of live-attenuated vaccine candidates.
- Enables generation of r3 arenaviruses for vaccine vector development.
Conclusions:
- Plasmid-based reverse genetics is a key technology for arenavirus research.
- r3 arenaviruses expressing foreign GOI are promising candidates for vaccine vectors.
- This approach advances the development of novel vaccines and antiviral strategies.