| Liao ning virus | |
|---|---|
Virus classification | |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | Riboviria |
| Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
| Phylum: | Duplornaviricota |
| Class: | Resentoviricetes |
| Order: | Reovirales |
| Family: | Sedoreoviridae |
| Genus: | Seadornavirus |
| Species: | Liao ning virus |
Liao ning virus (LNV) is avirus belonging to the genusSeadornavirus within the familyReoviridae, a family of segmented,non-enveloped,double-stranded RNA viruses.[1] LNV was first discovered inAedes dorsalis populations in theLiaoning province of thePeople's Republic of China in 2006 from mosquito samples obtained in 1997.[2] Its geographic distribution was previously thought to be limited to China, but it has since been found in mosquito populations inAustralia.[3] In addition toAedes dorsalis, LNV has been isolated fromCulex species.[2]
LNV'sgenome is about 20,700base pairs in length, and is segmented into 12 parts, with each segment having a majoropen reading frame that encodes for proteins VP1–12.[4] VP10, believed to be acapsid protein, is responsible for determining theserotype, of which two serotypes have been identified to date.[1][2][4] VP1 is most likely theRNA-dependent RNA polymerase, VP3 is likelyguanylyltransferase, acapping enzyme, VP7 shows similarities to proteinkinases, and VP11 matches thedsRNA-binding proteins of other seadornaviruses.[4] LNV is unique among seadornaviruses in that it is the only seadornavirus known to replicate inmammalian cells.[4]
The most recent common ancestor of LNV isolates from China is estimated to have been in the year 318.[1] Genetic analysis indicates that LNV populations were relatively stable for centuries but declined significantly in the late 1980s and early 1990s, before growing again starting in the late 1990s.[2] LNV evolves at about the same rate as other dsRNA viruses[2] but at a faster pace than otherarboviruses.[1] Part of LNV's genome is integrated into theAedes aegypti genome, indicating that LNV likely originates from Africa, whereAedes aegypti is from, and didn't leave the continent until the growth of theshipping industry in the 18th and 19th centuries.[2]
LNV is not known to cause disease in humans, but it has been investigated as a cause ofencephalitis in regions of China that experience seasonal encephalitis but are not affected byJapanese encephalitis.[2] In mice, reinfection, or being infected again shortly after recovering from an initial infection, causes lethal hemorrhaging.[4] The exact reason for this is unknown, but it does not appear to be related to any antibody-facilitating effect.[4] Anenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on the VP10 of both serotypes and a real timereverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) based on genome segments 10 and 12 have been developed to identify and conduct serological surveys of LNV.[2]