Cloning of the Epstein-Barr virus-related rhesus lymphocryptovirus as a bacterial artificial chromosome: a loss-of-function mutation of the rhBARF1 immune evasion gene.

ABSTRACT: Rhesus macaques are naturally infected with a gammaherpesvirus which is in the same lymphocryptovirus (LCV) genus as and closely related to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The rhesus macaque LCV (rhLCV) contains a repertoire of genes identical to that of EBV, and experimental rhLCV infection of naive rhesus macaques accurately models acute and persistent EBV infection of humans. We cloned the LCL8664 rhLCV strain as a bacterial artificial chromosome to create recombinant rhLCV for investigation in this animal model system. A recombinant rhLCV (clone 16 rhLCV) carrying a mutation in the putative immune evasion gene rhBARF1 was created along with a rescued wild-type (rWT) rhLCV in which the rhBARF1 open reading frame (ORF) was repaired. The rWT rhLCV molecular clone demonstrated viral replication

SUBMITTER: Ohashi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3020515 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature