2 research outputs found
Virus nomenclature below the species level : a standardized nomenclature for filovirus strains and variants rescued from cDNA
Specific alterations (mutations, deletions,
insertions) of virus genomes are crucial for the functional
characterization of their regulatory elements and their expression products, as well as a prerequisite for the creation
of attenuated viruses that could serve as vaccine
candidates. Virus genome tailoring can be performed either
by using traditionally cloned genomes as starting materials,
followed by site-directed mutagenesis, or by de novo synthesis
of modified virus genomes or parts thereof. A systematic
nomenclature for such recombinant viruses is
necessary to set them apart from wild-type and laboratoryadapted
viruses, and to improve communication and collaborations
among researchers who may want to use
recombinant viruses or create novel viruses based on them.
A large group of filovirus experts has recently proposed
nomenclatures for natural and laboratory animal-adapted
filoviruses that aim to simplify the retrieval of sequence
data from electronic databases. Here, this work is extended
to include nomenclature for filoviruses obtained in the
laboratory via reverse genetics systems. The previously
developed template for natural filovirus genetic variant
naming,\virus name[(\strain[/)\isolation host-suffix[/
\country of sampling[/\year of sampling[/\genetic
variant designation[-\isolate designation[, is retained, but we propose to adapt the type of information added to each
field for cDNA clone-derived filoviruses. For instance, the
full-length designation of an Ebola virus Kikwit variant
rescued from a plasmid developed at the US Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention could be akin to ââEbola
virus H.sapiens-rec/COD/1995/Kikwit-abc1ââ (with the
suffix âârecââ identifying the recombinant nature of the virus
and ââabc1ââ being a placeholder for any meaningful isolate
designator). Such a full-length designation should be used
in databases and the methods section of publications.
Shortened designations (such as ââEBOV H.sap/COD/95/
Kik-abc1ââ) and abbreviations (such as ââEBOV/Kik-abc1ââ)
could be used in the remainder of the text, depending on
how critical it is to convey information contained in the
full-length name. ââEBOVââ would suffice if only one
EBOV strain/variant/isolate is addressed.http://link.springer.com/journal/705hb201
Virus nomenclature below the species level : a standardized nomenclature for laboratory animal-adapted strains and variants of viruses assigned to the family Filoviridae
The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) organizes the classification of
viruses into taxa, but is not responsible for the nomenclature for taxa members. International
experts groups, such as the ICTV Study Groups, recommend the classification and naming of
viruses and their strains, variants, and isolates. The ICTV Filoviridae Study Group has recently
introduced an updated classification and nomenclature for filoviruses. Subsequently, and
together with numerous other filovirus experts, a consistent nomenclature for their natural
genetic variants and isolates was developed that aims at simplifying the retrieval of sequence
data from electronic databases. This is a first important step toward a viral genome annotation
standard as sought by the US National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Here, this
work is extended to include filoviruses obtained in the laboratory by artificial selection through
passage in laboratory hosts. The previously developed template for natural filovirus genetic
variant naming ( //<year of
sampling>/-) is retained, but it is proposed to
adapt the type of information added to each field for laboratory animal-adapted variants. For
instance, the full-length designation of an Ebola virus Mayinga variant adapted at the State
Research Center for Virology and Biotechnology âVectorâ to cause disease in guinea pigs after
seven passages would be akin to âEbola virus VECTOR/C.porcellus-lab/COD/1976/Mayinga-
GPA-P7â. As was proposed for the names of natural filovirus variants, we suggest using the fulllength
designation in databases, as well as in the method section of publications. Shortened
designations (such as âEBOV VECTOR/C.por/COD/76/May-GPA-P7â) and abbreviations (such
as âEBOV/May-GPA-P7â) could be used in the remainder of the text depending on how critical it is to convey information contained in the full-length name. âEBOVâ would suffice if only one
EBOV strain/variant/isolate is addressed.This work was funded in part by the Joint Science and Technology Office for Chem Bio Defense (proposal #TMTI0048_09_RD_T to SB).http://www.springerlink.com/content/0304-8608/hb2013ab201