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Abstract

Title: Recombinant hepatitis E virus genomes infectious for primates: importance of capping and discovery of a cis-reactive element.
Author: Emerson SU, Zhang M, Meng XJ, Nguyen H, St Claire M, Govindarajan S, Huang YK, Purcell RH
Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 98(26):15270-15275
Year: 2001
Month: December

Abstract: Hepatitis E virus recombinant genomes transcribed in vitro from two cDNA clones differing by two nucleotides were infectious for chimpanzees. However, one cDNA clone encoded a virus that was attenuated for chimpanzees and unable to infect rhesus monkeys. The second cDNA clone encoded a virus that infected both chimpanzees and rhesus monkeys and caused acute hepatitis in both. One mutation differentiating the two clones identified a cis-reactive element that appeared to overlap the 3' end of the capsid gene and part of the 3' noncoding region. Capping of the RNA transcripts was essential for infectivity.