This represents a revised application (albeit with a new number) from an established investigator, Dr. Donald Nuss, currently Professor and Director at the Center for Agricultural Biotechnology of the University of Maryland. Largely through Dr. Nuss's work, it has been found that the prototypic member of the RNA virus family, poviridae, persistently alters phenotypic traits and attenuates virulence of its pathogenic fungal host, primarily by disrupting cellular G-protein-linked signal transduction. Thus hypoviruses provide utility as biocontrol agents and as tools for identifying fungal virulence determinants and antimycotic therapeutic agents. A major advance in this field came from Dr. Nuss s development of an infectious hypovirus cDNA clone and infectious transcripts, making the virus amenable to genetic analysis. Major future goals include a fundamental analysis of hypovirus molecular biology and an understanding of the mechanisms by which hypoviruses persistently alter host phenotype.
The aims of this proposal are: (i) To further characterize hypovirus polyprotein processing. This will extend work which revealed that the viral protease p29 was a determinant of viral mediated alteration of fungal phenotype. (ii) To extend functional mapping of hypovirus coding domains. (iii) To extend the understanding of mechanisms underlying hypovirus mediated alteration of G protein signal transduction. (iv) Finally, to investigate mechanisms by which a known hypovirus symptom determinant, p29, alters host phenotype.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01GM055981-03
Application #
2910342
Study Section
Experimental Virology Study Section (EVR)
Project Start
1997-05-01
Project End
2001-04-30
Budget Start
1999-05-01
Budget End
2000-04-30
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1999
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of MD Biotechnology Institute
Department
Type
Organized Research Units
DUNS #
City
Baltimore
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
21202
Zhang, Dong-Xiu; Lu, Hsiao-Ling; Liao, Xinggang et al. (2013) Simple and efficient recycling of fungal selectable marker genes with the Cre-loxP recombination system via anastomosis. Fungal Genet Biol 61:1-8
Nuss, Donald L (2011) Mycoviruses, RNA silencing, and viral RNA recombination. Adv Virus Res 80:25-48
Chen, Min-Mei; Jiang, Mingguo; Shang, Jinjie et al. (2011) CYP1, a hypovirus-regulated cyclophilin, is required for virulence in the chestnut blight fungus. Mol Plant Pathol 12:239-46
Chen, Chen; Sun, Qihong; Narayanan, Buvaneswari et al. (2010) Structure of oxalacetate acetylhydrolase, a virulence factor of the chestnut blight fungus. J Biol Chem 285:26685-96