Novel Synthesis and Phenotypic Analysis of Mutant Clouds for Hepatitis E Virus Genotype 1.

ABSTRACT: Many RNA viruses exist as an ensemble of genetically diverse, replicating populations known as a mutant cloud. The genetic diversity (cloud size) and composition of this mutant cloud may influence several important phenotypic features of the virus, including its replication capacity. We applied a straightforward, bacterium-free approach using error-prone PCR coupled with reverse genetics to generate infectious mutant RNA clouds with various levels of genetic diversity from a genotype 1 strain of hepatitis E virus (HEV). Cloning and sequencing of a genomic fragment encompassing 70% of open reading frame 1 (ORF1) or of the full genome from variants in the resultant clouds showed the occurrence of nucleotide mutations at a frequency on the order of 10^-3 per nucleotide copied

SUBMITTER: Agarwal S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5790927 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature