Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Gammaherpesvirus from a Microbat Cell Line
Abstract
Bats are of significant interest as reservoirs for zoonotic viral pathogens; however, tools to dissect bat-virus interactions are limited in availability. This study serendipitously identified, in an established bat cell line, a fully replication-competent gammaherpesvirus; determined the complete genome sequence of the virus; and generated a viral transcript map. This virus can replicate in select human and nonhuman primate cell lines. However, analyses of viral sequences support a bat origin for this virus; we therefore refer to the virus as bat gammaherpesvirus 8 (BGHV8). The viral genome contains unique open reading frames that likely encode modulators of bat innate and adaptive immune signaling pathways and expresses viral miRNAs. The virus and its gene products should provide a unique tool to dissect both bat and gammaherpesvirus biology.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 25, 2016
- Source ID
- 10.1128/msphere.00070-15
Entities
People
- Anitha Jayaprakash
- Chad E Mire
- Christopher F Basler
- Kari E. Dilley
- Oliver Attie
- Ravi Sachidanandam
- Reed S. Shabman
- Susmita Shrivastava
- Thomas W Geisbert
- Timothy B Stockwell
- Tshidi Tsibane
- Vinita Puri
Organizations
- Defense Threat Reduction Agency
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- J. Craig Venter Institute
- University of Texas Medical Branch