Johns Hopkins University

Janice E Clements

Juergen A Richt

Susan Vandewoude

Opendra Narayan

Gary Wayne Ketner

Philip Andrew Hieter

Borna disease virus (BDV) causes a rare neurological disease in horses and sheep. A subtractive cDNA expression library was constructed with poly A-selected RNA from a BDV infected MDCK cell line. A clone (B8) was isolated that specifically hybridizes to RNA isolated from BDV-infected brain tissue and BDV-infected cell lines. This clone hybridizes to four BDV-specific positive strand RNAs and one negative strand RNA in BDV-infected rat brain. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the clone suggests that it represents a full length mRNA which contains several open reading frames. The Borna Disease Virus DNA sequences as well as proteins encoded by the BDV DNA sequences are provided.

Borna disease virus-specific DNA and proteins

Borna disease virus (BDV) causes a rare neurological disease in horses and sheep. A subtractive cDNA expression library was constructed with poly A-selected RNA from a BDV Infected MDCK cell line. A clone (B8) was isolated that specifically hybridizes to RNA isolated from BDV-infected brain tissue and BDV-infected cell lines. This clone hybridizes to four BDV-specific positive strand RNAs and one negative strand RNA in BDV-infected rat brain. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the clone suggests that it represents a full length mRNA which contains several open reading frames. The Borna Disease Virus DNA sequences as well as proteins encoded by the BDV DNA sequences are provided.

Homologous recombination techniques are used to produce yeast artificial chromosomes (YAC) containing foreign target DNA by utilizing at least three DNA segments which yield the vector. Preferred embodiments allow the production of viral DNA which is infectious.

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Columbia, MD, United States of America

Janice E Clements