title: A unique transcription mode of rabies virus high egg passage-Flury strain detected in infected baby hamster kidney-21 cells.
abstract: The transcription mode of rabies virus high egg passage-Flury (HEP) strain was examined and compared with that of Evelyn Rokitniki Abelseth (ERA) strain by northern blot analysis using rabies virus gene-specific probes. The ERA strain was shown to exclusively produce monocistronic mRNAs in transcription. All combinations of multicistronic transcripts, including five monocistronic mRNAs, were detected in the viral RNA transcripts of HEP strain. It was concluded that the unique transcription mode is not due to the nucleotide structure of the genome RNA template, but rather to the viral RNA polymerase of HEP strain. The viral polymerase of HEP strain read through the gene junction at a high frequency. The HEP strain has been passaged many times in chick embryo and cultured cells, and has adapted to propagate well in the baby hamster kidney-21 (BHK-21) cells. Through these passages in various hosts, the HEP strain has acquired a unique transcription mode that might have an advantage in amplification of the virus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Microbiology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. mori-k@yasuda-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kinjiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morimoto
authors.forename: Akihiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Akemi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ohkubo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D006224:Cricetinae; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology / Q000821:virology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011820:Rabies virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012367:RNA, Viral