A recombinant virus may occur naturally or be produced by recombining pieces of DNA using
recombinant DNA
Recombinant DNA (rDNA) molecules are DNA molecules formed by laboratory methods of genetic recombination (such as molecular cloning) that bring together genetic material from multiple sources, creating sequences that would not otherwise be fo ...
technology.
Synthetic recombination
This may be used to produce
viral vaccines or
gene therapy
Gene therapy is a medical field which focuses on the genetic modification of cells to produce a therapeutic effect or the treatment of disease by repairing or reconstructing defective genetic material. The first attempt at modifying human DN ...
vectors.
Natural recombination
The term is also used to refer to naturally occurring recombination between virus genomes in a cell infected by more than one
virus
A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.
Since Dmitri Ivanovsk ...
strain. This occurs either by
Homologous recombination
Homologous recombination is a type of genetic recombination in which genetic information is exchanged between two similar or identical molecules of double-stranded or single-stranded nucleic acids (usually DNA as in cellular organisms but may ...
of the
nucleic acid strands or by
reassortment
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 particul ...
of genomic segments. Both these and
mutation
In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA replication, DNA or viral repl ...
within the virus have been suggested as ways in which
influenza and other viruses evolve. An example of a recombinant virus is
Western equine encephalitis virus
The Western equine encephalomyelitis virus is the causative agent of relatively uncommon viral disease ''Western equine encephalomyelitis'' (WEE). An alphavirus of the family '' Togaviridae'', the WEE virus is an arbovirus (arthropod-borne vir ...
(WEE), which is a recombinant virus between two other closely related yet distinct
encephalitis viruses. In addition,
reassortment
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 particul ...
is most important for
pandemic influenza viruses.
See also
*
Reassortment
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 particul ...
*
Mutation
In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA replication, DNA or viral repl ...
*
Chromosomal crossover
References
Recombination Resulting in Virulence Shift in Avian Influenza Outbreak, Chile. Suarez et al 2009Homologous Recombination as an Evolutionary Force in the Avian Influenza A Virus. He at al 2008
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Recombinant Virus
Virology
Influenza