title: Countermeasure development for Rift Valley fever: deletion, modification or targeting of major virulence factorNSs.
abstract: Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease characterized by a high rate of abortion in ruminants, and febrile illness, hemorrhagic fever, retinitis and encephalitis in humans. RVF is caused by the RVF virus (RVFV), belonging to the genusPhlebovirusof the familyBunyaviridae. RVFV encodes a major virulence factor,NSs, which is dispensable for viral replication, yet required for evasion of host innate immune responses. RVFVNSsinhibits host gene upregulation at the transcriptional level, while promoting viral translation in the cytoplasm. In this article, we summarize the virology and pathology of RVF, and countermeasure development for RVF, with emphasis onNSsfunction and applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, MMNP3.206D, 301 University Blvd. Galveston, TX 77555-0436, USA.
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lihoradova
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, MMNP3.206D, 301 University Blvd. Galveston, TX 77555-0436, USA ; Sealy Center for Vaccine Development, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA ; Center for Biodefense & Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Tetsuro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ikegami
keywords: MP-12; NSs; Phlebovirus; Rift Valley fever virus; vaccine