What is the Dengue virus?
Dengue virus is a mosquito-borne virus in the family Flaviviridae:
o Flaviviruses large group (>70 members)
Named after yellow fever (flavi means yellow)
WNV, Dengue, Japanese encephalitis
o Transmitted by mosquitoes (primarily
What are other possible strategies for virus control with genetically modified plants?
There are multiple other strategies that can be used to genetically engineer viral resistance:
o Expression of viral satellite RNA (not used much anymore)
What are replicon-based vaccine vectors?
Replicon-based vaccine vectors are vaccine vectors which use replicons:
o Replicon are self-replicating RNAs
DNA or RNA molecule or region that replicates from single origin of replication
o There are a number of
What is interferon?
Interferon is a family of proteins made & released by host cells in response to presence of pathogens:
o Activates immune system
Induces antiviral genes
IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs)
Promote neutrophil infiltratio
What is the complement system?
The complement system is part of the innate immune system which assists in clearance of pathogens:
o Various functions
Opsonisation (enhancing phagocytosis of antigens)
Chemotaxis (attracting molecules & neutrophils)
What is Japanese encephalitis vius?
Japanese encephalitis virus is a recently emerging Flavivirus:
o Flaviviridae family
o First appeared in Torres Strait in 1995
o 5 human cases in Australia
o Detected on mainland Australia in 1998
Why are insect viruses studied?
Insect viruses are studied for a number of important reasons:
o Fundamental biological questions
Can safely answer questions on viral infection
Can get large samples for studying viruses
o Disease control
How is the intracellular localisation of viral proteins identified?
The intracellular localisation of viral proteins can be identified through fluorescent proteins:
o Performed in live cells
Subcellular loci tagged with AFPs in transgenic N. benthamiana
What are tumour suppressor genes?
Tumour suppressor genes are genes which function in the suppression of proliferation:
o Anti-proliferative function
Prevents cell from progressing from G1 to S phase
o Main tumour suppressor genes are p53 & Retinoblastom
What does endemic mean?
An endemic is the continuous occurrence of a disease in a population:
o Always some people with infection at any time
o Baseline of infection
What does epidemic mean?
An epidemic is a peak in disease incidence which exceeds endem