Isolation and characterization of noncytopathic pestivirus mutants reveals a role for nonstructural protein NS4B in viral cytopathogenicity.

ABSTRACT: Isolates of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), the prototype pestivirus, are divided into cytopathic (cp) and noncytopathic (ncp) biotypes according to their effect on cultured cells. The cp viruses also differ from ncp viruses by the production of viral nonstructural protein NS3. However, the mechanism by which cp viruses induce cytopathic effect in cell culture remains unknown. Here we used a genetic approach to isolate ncp variants that arose from a cp virus at low frequency. A bicistronic BVDV (cp strain NADL) was created that expressed puromycin acetyltransferase as a dominant selectable marker. This bicistronic virus exhibited slightly slower growth kinetics and smaller plaques than NADL but remained cp. A number of independent ncp variants were isolated by puromycin selection. Rema

SUBMITTER: Qu L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC114647 | biostudies-literature | 2001 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature