Molecular Recognition in the Assembly of the Segmented Reovirus Genome

Abstract

Publisher Summary To lay the groundwork for examining molecular recognition interactions in reovirus genome segment assortment and reassortment, this chapter reviews the basic features of reovirus multiplication cycle, the nature of the genome segment sets of the three reovirus serotypes, and the nature of reovirus defective interfering (DI) particles that are genome segment size reassortants. When cells are infected with two reoviruses that belong to different serotypes, reassortants that contain n genome segments of one parent and 10– n of the other are formed at frequencies close to those expected on the basis of random reassortment— that is, there is little linkage between any pair or combination of genome segments. It has also been found that the introduction of heterologous, or modified homologous, genome segments into the reovirus genome requires the presence of acceptance signals on certain genome segments of recipient genomes. The finding that established genome segment reassortment analysis as a very powerful technique involved the demonstration that the double stranded RNA genome segments and proteins of the three reovirus serotypes possess readily distinguishable electrophoretic migration rates.