ABSTRACT
The Reoviridae are a family of viruses comprising six genera with a host range extending from insects and plants to vertebrates and mammals. The viruses are characterized primarily by their double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) genomes which vary from 10 to 12 segments in number. Protocols for cloning Reoviridae RNAs were devised considering the terminal structures elucidated for the segments and assuming that the dsRNAs were flush ended, the plus strand being identical to the single-stranded mRNAs transcribed by viral cores. Cloned genes were identified by their ability to hybridize with eDNA copies of specific RNA segments. The crystallographic structures of polio and rhinoviruses have been determined. This work elegantly shows how subunit proteins in a viral capsid can be intimately associated, and helps to explain the poor immunogenic character of purified polio capsid protein VP1. An alternative system for expressing rotavirus antigens involves the construction of recombinant vaccinia viruses.
