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apoptosis would be triggered subsequent to viral replication, 28
suggesting that the apoptotic process is a late event in the replication
cycle of HAstV.
Future Challenges
Although HAstV infectious particles were discovered almost 30 years
ago, limited information is still available on the molecular character-
istics of the virus, and its genome organization has not been com-
pletely clarified. However, the availability of molecular techniques to
study epidemiological features of viral infection has resulted in an
extensive database of sequence information, with more than 400
entries in the Genbank, and we are beginning to understand its bur-
den in gastroenteritis worldwide, the extent of its variability, and the
main characteristics of immunologic responses to infection. Aside
from the use of some cell-adapted HAstV strains that replicate in
CaCo-2 cells to high titers, the construction of an infectious full-
length clone with serotype 1 has been a critical step in development
of genetic systems for study of HAstV. 16 Not only may it be useful for
identifying the cleavage sites of both nonstructural polyproteins and
the capsid precursor, as well as its biological functions, but it also
offers promise as a paradigm for understanding the interactions
between viral and host cellular processes. Studies on HAstV capsid
structure will provide new insights into the understanding of HAstV
genetic and antigenic diversity, as well as the characterization of the
immune response, two key steps before the generation of potential
vaccines.
Acknowledgments
S. Guix was recipient of an FI fellowship from the Generalitat de
Catalunya. We acknowledge the technical expertise of the Serveis
Científic-Tècnics of the University of Barcelona. This work was sup-
ported in part by grants SP22-CT-2004-502571 from the European
Union, 2001/SGR/00098 from the Generalitat de Catalunya, and
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