Molecular biology and pathogenesis of fowl adenoviruses

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Fowl adenoviruses (FAdVs) are in the family Adenoviridae, and are implicated in diseases of poultry such as inclusion body hepatitis (IBH). However, some FAdVs are not pathogenic and therefore they are attractive as viral vectors for vaccine development. For this purpose, genetic manipulation of these viruses is directed towards the selective removal of some "dispensable" regions of their genetic material, which I have already identified, followed by their replacement with foreign genes originating from any other avian (or other) pathogens. However the possible roles of the "dispensable" regions of FAdV genomes in the natural course of infection and the probable implications in disease are still not well understood. In human adenovirus many of their "dispensable genes" are very important in modulating the host's antiviral defense. This proposal is aimed to identify the FAdV unique genes in the dispensable region at the left end and to determine their function(s) with an emphasis on pathogenesis.