title: Construction of a gene probe for detection of P virus (Reoviridae) in a marine decapod.
abstract: The construction is described of a molecular probe to P virus, a double stranded RNA virus belonging to the Reoviridiae, which is an endemic pathogen of swimming crabs in British coastal waters and the Mediterranean. The probe hybridises to the P virus genome and can be easily produced in large quantities by PCR. It may be used by dot blotting or in situ hybridisation to specifically detect P virus in tissues and cells of natural or experimentally infected animals. Analyses of tissue samples with this probe show that the virus infects connective tissues of gills and hepatopancreas. This is the first gene probe to be constructed for a native viral pathogen of temperate water brachyurans and it will be useful to study virus ecology and virus-host interactions in vivo and in vitro. An understanding of these processes is essential to control and manage disease and, ultimately, to identify immune effectors capable of destroying viral pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Gatty Marine Laboratory, School of Environmental & Evolutionary Biology, University of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Walton
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Montanie
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Arcier
authors.forename: V J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bonami
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003386:Brachyura / Q000821:virology*; D015342:DNA Probes / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D006868:Hydrolysis; D015151:Immunoblotting; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012087:Reoviridae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes