Dissecting molecular mechanisms of genome assortment and packaging in rotaviruses, Wellcome Trust

Researchers at the Universities of Leeds and York in the UK, as well as the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, are examining how segmented RNA genetic material is able to consistently organise and package itself in rotaviruses. Their findings could help to develop novel treatments against a range of RNA viruses. Rotaviruses are highly contagious pathogens that mainly infect children. Most children will be infected at least once by the age of five, and that means there are a huge number of cases every year – estimated at over 114 million – with upwards of 200,000 deaths. Infection with a rotavirus can cause diarrhoea and vomiting, often severe if basic treatment is not available. As the biggest determinant of survival is access to appropriate medical care, these pathogens pose the biggest problems in poorer countries where such essentials are not necessarily a given. Currently, there are no drugs that can treat rotavirus once it has infected someone. However, there are several commercially available vaccines. Since their development, hospitalisations caused by rotavirus have dropped dramatically worldwide. However, more could certainly still be done in terms of treating the disease. In order to better understand how to combat the virus, it is essential to understand its molecular underpinnings. Viruses in general contain genetic information (either RNA or DNA) surrounded by a protein shell. The shell protects the genetic information from destruction and helps it to enter host cells. At that point, the virus' genetic material comes into play, hijacking the host's protein machinery to make many copies of itself. These copies will then acquire a new protective shell during a process termed 'genome packaging', and will burst out of the cells to continue infecting more cells. Rotaviruses code their genetic material using double-stranded RNA, which is divided into 11 individual segments.