title: Characterization of Shuni viruses detected in Israel.
abstract: Shuni virus (SHUV) was recently identified in Israel in several brains of ovine, bovine, and goat fetuses and newborn animals with congenital arthrogryposis-hydranencephaly syndrome. In the present study, the sequences of several Israeli SHUV strains were analyzed in detail; based on the small genome segment which encodes the nucleocapsid protein and the small nonstructural protein (NSs), a very high similarity of 99-100 % among each other was found. In contrast to the highly conserved N protein, several mutations were found within the NSs-coding sequence of SHUVs present in brain samples of malformed fetuses, resulting in a considerably frequent appearance of stop codons. Interferon alpha/beta production was demonstrated in an in-vitro interferon bioassay; hence, the virus isolated from the brain of a malformed sheep fetus acquired mutations, resulting in the loss of its NSs protein function.
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Virology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, 50250, Bet Dagan, Israel.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Golender
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany. kerstin.wernike@fli.de.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wernike
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Virology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, 50250, Bet Dagan, Israel.
authors.forename: Velizar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bumbarov
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aebischer
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Virology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, 50250, Bet Dagan, Israel.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Panshin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jenckel
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Virology, Kimron Veterinary Institute, 50250, Bet Dagan, Israel.
authors.forename: Yevgeny
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Khinich
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beer
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D000818:Animals; D002044:Bunyaviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary*; D002417:Cattle; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D007372:Interferons / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007557:Israel; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D016851:Orthobunyavirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D012418:Ruminants; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012756:Sheep; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; D007372:Interferons
keywords: Genetics; Orthobunyavirus; Phylogeny; Ruminants; Sequence analysis; Shuni virus