Abstract
During the early days of molecular virology, the presumed monomolecular nature of their genomes was considered to be one of the primary virtues of viruses. However, in 1969, irrefutable evidence surfaced that reovirus genomes consist not of one, but of ten molecules of double-stranded (ds)RNA (Shatkin et al. 1968). Further, it quickly became apparent that this was not a case of a “headful” mechanism at work, such as appears to operate for influenza virus, where virus particles probably contain random 11-segment collections of the eight actual influenza genome segment species, so that roughly one in 25 virus particles contains at least one of each and is therefore infectious (Lamb and Choppin 1983; Enami et al. 1991). By contrast, the assembly of genome segments to form the reovirus genome is an extraordinarily efficient and precise process because the ratio of virus particles to infectious units in carefully handled reovirus preparations is essentially 1 (1.6 or less) (Spendlove et al. 1970; Larson et al. 1994).
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
