Rescue of Ebola virus from cDNA using heterologous support proteins.
Using the infectious clone for Zaire ebolavirus, the functional specificity of viral proteins of the ribonucleoprotein complex in transcription/replication was investigated by substituting them with heterologous proteins derived from closely (Reston ebolavirus) and distantly related filoviruses (Marburgvirus). The data clearly demonstrated that transcription/replication are neither strictly species-specific nor genus-specific. Protein interactions between the nucleoprotein NP and the virion protein VP35 and the polymerase L and VP35 seemed to be the most critical steps. In contrast to previous data, viral proteins were able to target heterologous filovirus RNA. Together these results indicated that protein-protein interactions are more critical than protein-RNA interactions.
Theriault
Steven
S
Special Pathogens Program, National Laboratory for Zoonotic Diseases and Special Pathogens, National Microbiology Laboratory, Health Canada, Canada.
Groseth
Allison
A
Neumann
Gabriele
G
Kawaoka
Yoshihiro
Y
Feldmann
Heinz
H
D000818:Animals; D015478:Antigens, Heterophile; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D029043:Ebolavirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D016563:Filoviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014709:Vero Cells; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D015478:Antigens, Heterophile; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D012261:Ribonucleoproteins; D014764:Viral Proteins