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World J Clin Infect Dis. Nov 25, 2014; 4(4): 16-26
Published online Nov 25, 2014. doi: 10.5495/wjcid.v4.i4.16
Published online Nov 25, 2014. doi: 10.5495/wjcid.v4.i4.16
Reverse genetics: Unlocking the secrets of negative sense RNA viral pathogens
Kathryn Edenborough, Glenn A Marsh, Australian Animal Health Laboratory, CSIRO, East Geelong, 3219 Victoria, Australia
Author contributions: Both authors wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Glenn A Marsh, PhD, Australian Animal Health Laboratory, CSIRO, 5 Portarlington Rd, East Geelong, 3219 Victoria, Australia. glenn.marsh@csiro.au
Telephone: +61-03-52275125
Received: June 30, 2014
Revised: August 29, 2014
Accepted: September 23, 2014
Published online: November 25, 2014
Processing time: 160 Days and 23.6 Hours
Revised: August 29, 2014
Accepted: September 23, 2014
Published online: November 25, 2014
Processing time: 160 Days and 23.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Several negative sense RNA viruses are capricious, pandemic threats and give no quarter to their human hosts. Reverse genetic approaches have been valuable for discovery of key virulence factors mediating disease with the aim of treatment and vaccine development, and knowledge acquisition to genetically map pathogenic potential. Despite the value of the reverse genetics approach current systems are limited by molecular cloning procedures that do not enable reproduction of genetically heterogeneous virus populations that circulate in nature. Advances in molecular biology may facilitate production of genetically diverse viral populations that better represent natural isolates.