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Title: MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF THE S1 GENOME SEGMENT OF TURKEY-ORIGIN REOVIRUS

Author
item Day, James
item Pantin Jackwood, Mary
item Spackman, Erica

Submitted to: American Society for Microbiology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2006
Publication Date: 5/21/2006
Citation: Day, J.M., Pantin Jackwood, M.J., Spackman, E. 2006. Molecular characterization of the S1 genome segment of turkey-origin reovirus. In: American Society for Microbiology Annual Meeting Scientific Program, May 21-25, 2006, Orlando, Florida. 2006 CDROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Recently, several turkey-origin avian reoviruses (TRVs) have been identified that are genetically distinct from other avian orthoreoviruses based on sequence analysis of the major outer capsid protein sigmaB. Since attempts to identify and further characterize these TRVs using existing primers specific for the sigmaC cell-attachment protein gene from chicken-origin reovirus were unsuccessful, plans were made to sequence the entire S1 genome segment of selected TRV isolates using a sequence-independent oligonucleotide adapter-ligation technique. This molecular approach resulted in the successful sequencing of the entire S1 genome segment from two particularly virulent TRV isolates, NC/SEP-R44/03 and NC/98, and led to the design of primers that allowed for the sequencing of the sigmaC gene from several other novel TRV isolates. Multiple alignment and phylogenetic analysis of the TRV S1 genome segments and putative protein products supports the finding that the TRVs are unique among the avian orthoreoviruses. The low sequence identity (36-55%) observed between the putative TRV sigmaC proteins and the sigmaC protein from the chicken reovirus reference strain S1133 suggests that the attachment protein may be responsible for the species specificity observed for the TRVs in pathogenesis studies. The successful adapter-ligation technique and sequence-based techniques are currently being employed to sequence genes of interest located on other TRV genome segments.