Cardiovirus
Encyclopedia
Cardiovirus is a genus within the family Picornaviridae. The genus comprises two species: Encephalomyocarditis virus and Theilovirus. Encephalomyocarditis virus has only one serotype (of the same name), while Theilovirus consists of four viruses which are probably serologically distinct; these are Theiler's murine enceaphalomyelitis virus (TMEV), Vilyuisk human encephalomyelitis virus (VHEV), a Theiler-like virus (TLV) of rats (which has yet to be named) and Saffold virus (SAF-V).
. The virion shows icosahedral symmetry and is around 30 nm in diameter. The 3’ end of the genome encodes a polyA
tail while the 5’ end encodes a genome linked protein. A unique feature of this genus is the presence of the L* protein that is made out of frame from the polyprotein and is present in the DA subgroup of TMEV and is found to be important for the virus pathogenesis.
In the case of encephalomyocarditis virus, the virus can cause encephalitis and myocarditis, mostly in rodents, which are natural host
s. The virus is transmitted from rodents to other animals. Severe epidemics have been seen in swine and elephant
s.
Replication of cardioviruses is dependent on a structured RNA element called the Cardiovirus cis-acting replication element (CRE)
.
Virology
Cardioviruses infect vertebrates. The virion is non-enveloped and contains a strand of positive sense, single stranded RNARNA
Ribonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
. The virion shows icosahedral symmetry and is around 30 nm in diameter. The 3’ end of the genome encodes a polyA
Polyadenylation
Polyadenylation is the addition of a poly tail to an RNA molecule. The poly tail consists of multiple adenosine monophosphates; in other words, it is a stretch of RNA that has only adenine bases. In eukaryotes, polyadenylation is part of the process that produces mature messenger RNA for translation...
tail while the 5’ end encodes a genome linked protein. A unique feature of this genus is the presence of the L* protein that is made out of frame from the polyprotein and is present in the DA subgroup of TMEV and is found to be important for the virus pathogenesis.
In the case of encephalomyocarditis virus, the virus can cause encephalitis and myocarditis, mostly in rodents, which are natural host
Host (biology)
In biology, a host is an organism that harbors a parasite, or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment and shelter. In botany, a host plant is one that supplies food resources and substrate for certain insects or other fauna...
s. The virus is transmitted from rodents to other animals. Severe epidemics have been seen in swine and elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s.
Replication of cardioviruses is dependent on a structured RNA element called the Cardiovirus cis-acting replication element (CRE)
Cardiovirus cis-acting replication element (CRE)
This family represents a Cardiovirus cis-acting replication element which is located within the region encoding the capsid protein VP2 and is required for viral replication.-See also:*Citrus tristeza virus replication signal...
.