Novel non-enveloped viruses with positive, single-stranded RNA genome and its host species

Informations

Funding country

Hungary

Acronym

-

URL

-

Start date

2/1/2011

End date

1/31/2015

Budget

36,654 EUR

Fundings

Abstract

Viruses with positive, single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) genome - which evolutionally imitate prokaryote mRNA molecule - are the most plentiful on this planet; 27 families have been recognized, including 9 families which infect mammals, and this number is increasing rapidly using up-to-date metagenomic methods. Non-enveloped +ssRNA viruses in families Astroviridae, Caliciviridae, Hepeviridae and Picornaviridae have many common and characteristic features. In this research project there will be a 1. systematic search for identification of novel (species or genus of) non-enveloped viruses with +ssRNA genome (virus diversity) using a combination of conserved (and degenerate) primers designed for highly conserved genetic motifs based upon the theoretically possibly nucleotide variations from promising samples by RT-PCR methods; 2. characterization of the complete genome of novel promising virus(es) by genome-walking and up-to-date viral metagenomics methods (like 454-pyrosequencing); and 3. detection and characterization of the identified novel virus variant(s), species or genus (including the recently identified potential new picornavirus genus 'Hungarovirus') by molecular methods in as many animal host species as possible (host species diversity) including human. With this research, we can fill up and continue the virtual table where the rows represent the genera or species of non-enveloped +ssRNA viruses and the columns represent the range of its host species.