The virus has a bi-segmented (L and S) single-stranded RNA genome. Each segment contains two genes in ambisense orientation. The L RNA encodes a large ...HomeVirusArenaviridaeRNAVirusOldWorldArenavirusesArenavirusVirologyLassaVirusArticleLassaVirusGenomeSeptember2006CurrentGenomics7(6):351-379DOI:10.2174/138920206778948673Authors:IgorSLukashevichUniversityofLouisvilleMariaSalvatoUniversityofMaryland,BaltimoreRequestfull-textPDFToreadthefull-textofthisresearch,youcanrequestacopydirectlyfromtheauthors.Requestfull-textDownloadcitationCopylinkLinkcopiedRequestfull-textDownloadcitationCopylinkLinkcopiedToreadthefull-textofthisresearch,youcanrequestacopydirectlyfromtheauthors.Citations(22)References(224)AbstractLassavirus(LASV),themostdangeroushumanpathogenamongtheArenaviridae,belongstoacomplexofgeneticallyrelatedvirusstrainsresponsibleforthedeathsofthousandsofpeopleinWestAfricaeachyear.Thevirushasabi-segmented(LandS)single-strandedRNAgenome.Eachsegmentcontainstwogenesinambisenseorientation.TheLRNAencodesalargeprotein,L,orRdRpandasmallzinc-binding,Zprotein.TheSRNAencodesthemajorstructuralproteins,nucleoprotein(NP)andglycoproteinprecursor(GPC),cleavedintosignalpeptide,GP1,andGP2glycoproteins.GeneticdiversityamongLASVstrainsisthehighestwithinthefamilyArenaviridaeandNPandRdRpgenesarethemostvariableamongLASVgenes.TheLASVgeneticdiversityisagreatchallengeforvaccinedevelopment.InadditiontoLASVandtheprototypelymphocyticchoriomeningitisvirus(LCMV),theOldWorldgroupofarenavirusesincludesthreeotherrelatedviruses,Mopeia(MOPV),Mobala(MOBV),andIppy(IPPYV).ThesevirusesaswellasaMOP/LASreassortantcarryingtheLRNAsegmentfromMOPVandSRNAsegmentfromLASVarenon-pathogenicforexperimentalanimalsandareabletoinduceprotectiveimmunityagainstLASV.LassaFeverpathogenesisisasumoftheeffectsinducedbyviralreplicationandimmuneresponse.ThegoalofthisreviewistocoverrecentpublicationsonviralandhostgenesthatcontrolLASVvirulence.Thefull-lengthgenomesequenceofLASVisolatesandLASV-relatednonpathogenicarenaviruseswillpr