Processing of the 3C/D Region of the Deformed Wing Virus (DWV).

The deformed wing virus (DWV) belongs to the genus and the family within the order . It is an important pathogen of the Western honey bee, , causing major losses among honey bee colonies in association with the ectoparasitic mite Although DWV is one of the best-studied insect viruses, the mechanisms of viral replication and polyprotein processing have been poorly studied in the past. We investigated the processing of the protease-polymerase region at the C-terminus of the polyprotein in more detail using recombinant expression, novel serological reagents, and virus clone mutagenesis.

Characterization of a Cytopathogenic Reporter CSFV.

Cytopathogenic (cp) pestiviruses frequently emerge in cattle that are persistently infected with the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) as a consequence of RNA recombination and mutation. They induce apoptosis in infected tissue cultures, are highly attenuated in the immunocompetent host, and unable to establish persistent infections after diaplacental infections. Cp strains of BVDV have been used as naturally attenuated live vaccines and for species-specific plaque reduction tests for the indirect serological detection of BVDV.

Impact of PNPase on the transcriptome of Rhodobacter sphaeroides and its cooperation with RNase III and RNase E.

Background: The polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase) is conserved among both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. As a core part of the Escherichia coli degradosome, PNPase is involved in maintaining proper RNA levels within the bacterial cell. It plays a major role in RNA homeostasis and decay by acting as a 3'-to-5' exoribonuclease.