MOLECULAR STUDY OF AN RNA VIRUS IN LEISHMANIA

这项研究的重点是最近在一些分离株中发现的一种病毒 原生动物寄生虫利什曼原虫。这种病毒最初是由 同时存在独特的RNA聚合酶活性和6千碱基 受感染的前鞭毛体中的RNA种类。电子显微镜显示 类似于小核糖核酸病毒的病毒样颗粒。病毒制剂是 在密度梯度上获得，并被发现包含假定的 双链RNA基因组以及RNA聚合酶活性。这些 观察到的结果与利什马尼亚地区dsrna的存在一致。 病毒。这种病毒与在酵母和其他真菌中发现的病毒相似， 以及在另外两种寄生原生动物贾第鞭毛虫中发现的病毒 和毛滴虫。 由于病毒的复制依赖于宿主的分子途径，因此 拟议中的研究不仅聚焦于利什曼病毒，而且使用了 系统--一种研究翻译和翻译的新方法 动质体寄生虫中的途径。 这项研究的主要目标是： 1)在分子水平上表征复制和翻译 利什曼病毒的战略； 2)鉴定病毒编码蛋白； 3)确定病毒的分类地位及其与 来自其他原生动物和酵母的病毒； 4)开发该病毒系统作为研究该病毒的实验模型 利什曼原虫宿主独特的RNA加工和翻译途径。

This study focuses on a virus recently discovered in some isolates of the protozoan parasite Leishmania. This virus was originally detected by the simultaneous presence of a unique RNA polymerase activity and a 6 kilobase RNA species in infected promastigotes. Electron microscopy revealed virus-like particles similar to picornaviruses. Viral preparations were obtained on density gradients and were found to contain the putative double-stranded RNA genome as well as RNA polymerase activity. These observations are consistent with the presence in Leishmania of a dsRNA virus. This virus is reminiscent of those found in yeast and other fungi, as well as viruses demonstrated in two other parasitic protozoan, Giardia and Trichomonas. As viral replication is dependent on the host's molecular pathways, the proposed study focuses not only on the Leishmania virus, but uses this system as a novel approach to study the transcription and translation pathways in kinetoplastid parasites. The main goals of this study are: 1)Characterize on a molecular level the replicative and translational strategy of the Leishmania virus; 2)Identify the virus-encoded proteins; 3)Establish the taxonomic status of the virus and its relationship with viruses from other protozoan and from yeast; 4)Exploit this viral system as an experimental model for studying the unique RNA processing and translation pathways in the Leishmania host.