The process of reassortment in biotechnology
Reassortment is the mixing of the genetic material of a species into new combinations in different individuals. Several different processes contribute to reassortment, including assortment of chromosomes, and chromosomal crossover. It is particularly used when two similar viruses that are infecting the same cell exchange genetic material. In particular, reassortment occurs among influenza viruses, whose genomes consist of eight distinct segments of RNA. These segments act like mini-chromosomes, and each time a flu virus is assembled, it requires one copy of each segment.
If a single host (a human, a chicken, or other animal) is infected by two different strains of the influenza virus, then it is possible that new assembled viral particles will be created from segments whose origin is mixed, some coming from one strain and some coming from another. The new reassortant strain will share properties of both of its parental lineages.
Reassortment is responsible for some of the major genetic shifts in the history of the influenza virus. The 1957 and 1968 pandemic flu strains were caused by reassortment between an avian virus and a human virus, whereas the H1N1 virus responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak has an unusual mix of swine, avian and human influenza genetic sequences.
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Thu, 02 May 2013 11:14:30 -0700
Guinea pigs used in experiments to test the virulence of engineered H5N1 influenza strains. Image: Zhang et al./Science. In nature, some strains of the influenza virus are highly lethal while others jump easily from person to person. What public health ...
Wed, 22 May 2013 16:00:18 -0700
... genes of the two isolates revealed a unique sublineage compared with other H7N9 viruses that are derived from H9N2 and other viruses, which they said could suggest that the novel H7N9 has varied origins, with possible ongoing reassortment in poultry.
Las Cruces Sun-News
Mon, 13 May 2013 00:02:00 -0700
A periodic reassortment of its genes gives rise to new variants that have not been seen before. Each time, the new variant poses a potential threat to both man and animal. Another shuffle of the deck has just occurred, leading to a new outbreak of bird ...
Sun, 05 May 2013 12:02:39 -0700
The process by which hybrids form is known as reassortment, and it occurs when an individual is infected with two different strains. Genetic information is exchanged across the two to form a new and unique virus, exactly what happened in 2009 when a ...
Tue, 07 May 2013 16:40:00 -0700
Pigs are an important source of new human strains of influenza A, such as the 2009-10 H1N1 pandemic that emerged in Mexico and infected an estimated fifth of the world's population. Pigs can act as a "mixing vessel" in a process known as reassortment, ...
Mon, 29 Apr 2013 05:34:04 -0700
“It is clear that the novel H7N9 viruses are the product of gene reassortment, with the internal genes from one donor, and HA and NA genes from one or several other donors.” HA receptor-binding specificity is a major molecular determinant for the host ...
Genetic Engineering News
Fri, 10 May 2013 02:03:12 -0700
Today, researchers at MIT release research showing that genetic reassortment within a particular flu strain circulating among birds and pigs could pose a significant health threat to humans, just as it did during summer 1968, when an H3N2 pandemic led ...
Thu, 16 May 2013 03:05:53 -0700
Of the 581 HA sequences, six swine strains already contain the standard HA mutations necessary for human adaptation, and are thus capable of entering the human population either directly or via genetic reassortment, Sasisekharan says. “One of the ...
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