Chapter 5 - Bluetongue virus: cell biology

Abstract

Bluetongue virus (BTV) can infect and replicate in a wide range of mammalian and insect cell types, in vivo and in vitro. The production of virus-specific RNAs, proteins and structures, and their interaction with the cellular components involved in assembly and release of progeny virus particles can have far reaching consequences for the viability of the cell. However, different cell types can respond in very different ways to BTV infection, showing variations not only between mammalian and insect cells but also between different mammalian cell types. This chapter summarizes the current knowledge of BTV interactions with the host cell in vitro. Capped positive-sense mRNAs that are released from the BTV core into the cytoplasm use the host cells' translational machinery to synthesize viral proteins. The BTV mRNAs are capped by VP4, suggesting that they are translated in a cap-dependent manner. Bluetongue virus persistently infects Culicoides cells but does not cause shut-off of host cell protein synthesis. The virus can also persistently infect some mammalian cells, suggesting that host cell shut-off is also circumvented in these cells.