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Journal of Virology, February 2001, p. 1643-1655, Vol. 75, No. 4
0022-538X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.75.4.1643-1655.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Reverse Genetics System for Uukuniemi Virus
(Bunyaviridae): RNA Polymerase I-Catalyzed Expression of
Chimeric Viral RNAs
Ramon
Flick
and
Ralf F.
Pettersson*
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research,
Stockholm Branch, Karolinska Institute, S-17177 Stockholm, Sweden
Received 16 August 2000/Accepted 7 November 2000
We describe here the development of a reverse genetics system for
the phlebovirus Uukuniemi virus, a member of the
Bunyaviridae family, by using RNA polymerase I (pol
I)-mediated transcription. Complementary DNAs containing the coding
sequence for either chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) or green
fluorescent protein (GFP) (both in antisense orientation) were flanked
by the 5'- and 3'-terminal untranslated regions of the Uukuniemi virus
sense or complementary RNA derived from the medium-sized (M) RNA
segment. This chimeric cDNA (pol I expression cassette) was cloned
between the murine pol I promoter and terminator and the plasmid
transfected into BHK-21 cells. When such cells were either
superinfected with Uukuniemi virus or cotransfected with expression
plasmids encoding the L (RNA polymerase), N (nucleoprotein), and
NSs (nonstructural protein) viral proteins, strong CAT
activity or GFP expression was observed. CAT activity was
consistently stronger in cells expressing L plus N than following
superinfection. No activity was seen without superinfection, nor was
activity detected when either the L or N expression plasmid was
omitted. Omitting NSs expression had no effect on CAT activity or GFP
expression, indicating that this protein is not needed for viral RNA
replication or transcription. CAT activity could be serially passaged
to fresh cultures by transferring medium from CAT-expressing cells,
indicating that recombinant virus containing the reporter construct had
been produced. In summary, we demonstrate that the RNA pol I system,
originally developed for influenza virus, which replicates in the
nucleus, has strong potential for the development of an efficient
reverse genetics system also for Bunyaviridae members,
which replicate in the cytoplasm.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Ludwig
Institute for Cancer Research, Stockholm Branch, Karolinska Institute,
Box 240, S-17177 Stockholm, Sweden. Phone: 468-310701. Fax:
468-332812. E-mail: rpet{at}licr.ki.se.

Present address: Centre for Microbiological Preparedness, Swedish
Institute for Infectious Disease Control, S-17182 Solna,
Sweden.
Journal of Virology, February 2001, p. 1643-1655, Vol. 75, No. 4
0022-538X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.75.4.1643-1655.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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