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Updated: Nov 11, 2025

Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes: A Functional Genomics Tool for the Study of Positive-strand RNA Viruses
Published on: December 29, 2015
Plant negative-stranded RNA virus biology and host interactions revitalized by reverse genetics
1State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology, Institute of Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Ministry of Agriculture Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insect Pests, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Key Laboratory of Biology of Crop Pathogens and Insects of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Abstract:
Our understanding of the biology and pathogenesis of plant negative-stranded RNA viruses (NSVs) has lagged behind those made with positive-stranded RNA and DNA virus counterparts. This tardiness is mainly due to the lack of reverse genetics tools for NSV genome engineering for many years. The eventual establishment and application of recombinant systems with diverse plant NSVs has provided renewed momentum for investigations of these important viral pathogens. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in plant NSV reverse genetics systems, highlighting the general principles and the uniqueness of each system and emphasizing important considerations for strategy designing. We also provide a brief overview of the insights about NSV morphogenesis, movement, and virus-host interactions gained from reverse genetics-enabled studies.
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