Replication Kinetics for a Reporter Merkel Cell Polyomavirus.

ABSTRACT: Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) causes one of the most aggressive human skin cancers, but laboratory studies on MCV replication have proven technically difficult. We report the first recombinase-mediated MCV minicircle (MCVmc) system that generates high levels of circularized virus, allowing facile MCV genetic manipulation and characterization of viral gene expression kinetics during replication. Mutations to Fbw7, Skp2, β-TrCP and hVam6p interaction sites, or to the stem loop sequence for the MCV-encoded miRNA precursor, markedly increase viral replication, whereas point mutation to an origin-binding site eliminates active virus replication. To further increase the utility of this system, an mScarlet fusion protein was inserted into the VP1 c-terminus to generate a non-infectious reporter

SUBMITTER: Abere B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8950423 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature