385 results about "Viral rna" patented technology

The present invention relates methods of generating infectious negative-strand virus in host cells by an entirely vector-based system without the aid of a helper virus. In particular, the present invention relates methods of generating infectious recombinant negative-strand RNA viruses intracellularly in the absence of helper virus from expression vectors comprising cDNAs encoding the viral proteins necessary to form ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs) and expression vectors comprising cDNA for genomic viral RNA(s) (vRNAs) or the corresponding cRNA(s). The present invention also relates to methods of generating infectious recombinant negative-strand RNA viruses which have mutations in viral genes and / or which express, package and / or present peptides or polypeptides encoded by heterologous nucleic acid sequences. The present invention further relates the use of the recombinant negative-strand RNA viruses or chimeric negative-strand RNA viruses of the invention in vaccine formulations and pharmaceutical compositions.

Recombinant negative-strand viral RNA templates are described which may be used with purified RNA-directed RNA polymerase complex to express heterologous gene products in appropriate host cells and / or to rescue the heterologous gene in virus particles. The RNA templates are prepared by transcription of appropriate DNA sequences with a DNA-directed RNA polymerase. The resulting RNA templates are of the negative-polarity and contain appropriate terminal sequences which enable the viral RNA-synthesizing apparatus to recognize the template. Bicistronic mRNAs can be constructed to permit internal initiation of translation of viral sequences and allow for the expression of foreign protein coding sequences from the regular terminal initiation site, or vice versa.

This invention relates to genetically engineered Newcastle disease viruses and viral vectors which express heterologous genes or mutated Newcastle disease viral genes or a combination of viral genes derived from different strains of Newcastle disease virus. The invention relates to the construction and use of recombinant negative strand NDV viral RNA templates which may be used with viral RNA-directed RNA polymerase to express heterologous gene products in appropriate host cells and / or to rescue the heterologous gene in virus particles. In a specific embodiment of the invention, the heterologous gene product is a peptide or protein derived from the genome of a human immunodeficiency virus. The RNA templates of the present invention may be prepared by transcription of appropriate DNA sequences using any DNA-directed RNA polymerase such as bacteriophage T7, T3, SP6 polymerase, or eukaryotic polymerase I.

Provided is a polynucleotide comprising mRNA, rRNA or viral RNA, comprising ribose rings that are covalently modified at the 2′-OH position. Further provided are methods for producing a double-stranded oligo- or polynucleotide from a template comprising an oligo- or polyribonucleotide, a proportion of the ribose rings of which are covalently modified at the 2′-OH position to bear a substituent which enables replication of the template by the nucleic acid polymerase. Also provided is use of a poly-nucleotide comprising mRNA, rRNA or viral RNA, a proportion of the ribose rings of which are covalently modified at the 2′-OH position, in a hybridisation reaction.

The present invention is directed to the identification and use of ribonucleoside analogs to induce the mutation of an RNA virus, including BVDV, HIV and HCV, or a virus which otherwise replicates through an RNA intermediate. The increase in the mutation rate of the virus results in reduced viability of progeny generations of the virus, thereby inhibiting viral replication. In addition to these methods and related compositions, the invention provides methods and combinatorial chemistry libraries for screening ribonucleoside analogs for mutagenic potential.