Evidence for Novel Hepaciviruses in Rodents

Drexler, Jan Felix; Corman, Victor Max; Müller, Marcel Alexander; Lukashev, Alexander N.; Gmyl, Anatoly; Coutard, Bruno; Adam, Alexander; Ritz, Daniel; Leijten, Lonneke M.; van Riel, Debby; Kallies, Rene; Klose, Stefan M.; Gloza-Rausch, Florian; Binger, Tabea; Annan, Augustina; Adu-Sarkodie, Yaw; Oppong, Samuel; Bourgarel, Mathieu; Rupp, Daniel; Hoffmann, Bernd; Schlegel, Mathias; Kümmerer, Beate M.; Krüger, Detlev H.; Schmidt-Chanasit, Jonas; Setién, Alvaro Aguilar; Cottontail, Veronika M.; Hemachudha, Thiravat; Wacharapluesadee, Supaporn; Osterrieder, Klaus; Bartenschlager, Ralf; Matthee, Sonja; Beer, Martin; Kuiken, Thijs; Reusken, Chantal; Leroy, Eric M.; Ulrich, Rainer G.; Drosten, Christian

The genetic elements potentially homologous to HCV detected in rodent viruses also included microRNA-122 binding sites in the 59-ncr, an X-tail-like element in the 39-terminus and a putative F gene in an alternative open reading frame (ORF) of the R. pumilioassociated virus. The F protein appears to be unessential for HCV replication, but the evolutionary conservation of its ORF suggests that it may play a critical regulatory role in virus propagation and survival [50] . In this regard, the F protein may be considered a counter-defensive security protein that evolved to overcome mechanisms of host resistance [66] . The absence of paramount features typical of other genera and the presence of hepaciviruslike features suggest a tentative classification of the novel rodent viruses within the genus Hepacivirus, rather than a novel genus.