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Journal of Virology, June 2004, p. 6271-6281, Vol. 78, No. 12
0022-538X/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JVI.78.12.6271-6281.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

RNA Recombination In Vivo in the Absence of Viral Replication

Andreas Gallei, Alexander Pankraz, Heinz-Jürgen Thiel, and Paul Becher*

Institut für Virologie (FB Veterinärmedizin), Justus-Liebig-Universität, D-35392 Giessen, Germany

Received 21 November 2003/ Accepted 10 February 2004

To study fundamental aspects of RNA recombination, an in vivo RNA recombination system was established. This system allowed the efficient generation of recombinant cytopathogenic pestiviruses after transfection of synthetic, nonreplicatable, subgenomic transcripts in cells infected with a replicating noncytopathogenic virus. Studies addressing the interplay between RNA recombination and replication revealed that cotransfection of noninfected cells with various pairs of nonreplicatable RNA derivatives also led to the emergence of recombinant viral genomes. Remarkably, homologous and nonhomologous recombination occurred between two overlapping transcripts, each lacking different essential parts of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) gene. Apart from the generally accepted viral replicative copy choice recombination, our results prove the existence of a viral RdRp-independent mechanism of RNA recombination that occurs in vivo. It appears likely that such a mechanism not only contributes to the evolution of RNA viruses but also leads to the generation of recombinant cellular RNAs.


* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institut für Virologie (FB Veterinärmedizin), Justus-Liebig-Universität, Frankfurter Str. 107, D-35392 Giessen, Germany. Phone: 49-641-99-38393. Fax: 49-641-99-38359. E-mail: Paul.Becher{at}vetmed.uni-giessen.de.


Journal of Virology, June 2004, p. 6271-6281, Vol. 78, No. 12
0022-538X/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JVI.78.12.6271-6281.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.




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