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Reverse Genetics of Influenza B Viruses

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Reverse Genetics of RNA Viruses

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1602))

Abstract

Annual influenza epidemics are caused not only by influenza A viruses but also by influenza B viruses. Initially established for the generation of recombinant influenza A viruses, plasmid-based reverse genetics techniques have allowed researchers the generation of wild type and mutant viruses from full-length cDNA copies of the influenza viral genome. These reverse genetics approaches have allowed researchers to answer important questions on the biology of influenza viruses by genetically engineering infectious recombinant viruses. This has resulted in a better understanding of the molecular biology of influenza viruses, including both viral and host factors required for genome replication and transcription. With the ability to generate recombinant viruses containing specific mutations in the viral genome, these reverse genetics tools have also allowed the identification of viral and host factors involved in influenza pathogenesis, transmissibility, host-range interactions and restrictions, and virulence. Likewise, reverse genetics techniques have been used for the implementation of inactivated or live-attenuated influenza vaccines and the identification of anti-influenza drugs and their mechanism of antiviral activity. In 2002, these reverse genetics approaches allowed also the recovery of recombinant influenza B viruses entirely from plasmid DNA. In this chapter we describe the cloning of influenza B/Brisbane/60/2008 viral RNAs into the ambisense pDP-2002 plasmid and the experimental procedures for the successful generation of recombinant influenza B viruses.

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Acknowledgments

Influenza B research to L.M.-S. was partially funded by the 2014 University of Rochester Research Award. J.S. and D.R.P. are funded by start-up funds from the University of Georgia and by NIH contract HHSN272201400008C.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA

    Aitor Nogales & Luis Martínez-Sobrido

  2. Department of Population Health, Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, 953 College Station Road, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Daniel R. Perez & Jefferson Santos

  3. Division of Viral Products, Office of Vaccines Research and Review, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, 20993, USA

    Courtney Finch

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  1. Aitor Nogales
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  2. Daniel R. Perez
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  3. Jefferson Santos
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  4. Courtney Finch
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  5. Luis Martínez-Sobrido
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luis Martínez-Sobrido .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Population Health, Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA

    Daniel R. Perez

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Nogales, A., Perez, D.R., Santos, J., Finch, C., Martínez-Sobrido, L. (2017). Reverse Genetics of Influenza B Viruses. In: Perez, D. (eds) Reverse Genetics of RNA Viruses. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1602. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6964-7_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6964-7_14

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