Viral Genomes - Molecular Structure, Diversity, Gene Expression Mechanisms and Host-Virus Interactions

MA LAURA GARCIA Y VICTOR ROMANOWSKI

InTech

Año: 2012 p. 275

978-953-51-0098-0

Section 1 deals with the organization of large viral dsDNA genomes and also smaller ssRNA (monopartite and segmented) genomes. Bioinformatic analyses shed light on the potential function of yet unknown gene products and the evolutionary history of viral families. This information is complemented with experimental data on morphology, gene expression, pathology and viral population structure (quasispecies). Section 2 addresses mechanisms that affect regulation of replication and gene expression in viral RNA and DNA genomes (translational frameshifting signals, RNA structures that affect recombination, genome packaging, etc., protein-DNA interactions that affect viral and cellular genes transcription). A new generation sequencing technologies, enzymatic amplification of specific nucleotide sequence targets, and nucleic acid hybridization analyses in diferent types of platforms are some of the tools that revolutionized the study of fundamental aspects of Virology and also yielded practical applications such as assessing live attenuated virus vaccine stability. These issues are explored in Section 3. Finally, Section 4 explores some aspects of virus-host interactions that impact on tissue tropism, virulence, pathogenesis and the development of vaccines and therapeutic strategies.