| Mengovirus | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Surface depiction of Mengovirus (2MEV) coloured by radial height to illuminate surface features | |
Virus classification | |
| (unranked): | Virus |
| Realm: | Riboviria |
| Kingdom: | Orthornavirae |
| Phylum: | Pisuviricota |
| Class: | Pisoniviricetes |
| Order: | Picornavirales |
| Family: | Picornaviridae |
| Genus: | Cardiovirus |
| Species: | |
| Virus: | Mengovirus |
Mengovirus, also known asColumbia SK virus,mouse Elberfield virus, andEncephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV), belongs to the genusCardiovirus which is a member of thePicornaviridae.[1] Its genome is a single strandedpositive-senseRNA molecule, making the Mengoviruses aclass IV virus under theBaltimore classification system. The genome is approximately 8400nt in length, and has 5’ VG protein (Virus genome protein) and a 3’ polyadenine tail. Mengovirus was isolated by George W. A. Dick in 1948, in the Mengo district of Entebbe in Uganda, from a captive rhesus monkey that had developed hind limb paralysis.[2][3]
Mengovirus is a non-enveloped virus which has a nucleocapsid made up of 12 subunits. Thevirion is 30 nm in diameter and displays icosahedral symmetry.[citation needed]
Once inside a host cell, the Mengovirus genome acts as a piece of mRNA and is directly translated by the hostribosomes in the cytoplasm. There is a large un-translated region at the 5’ end of the RNA that has a ribosome binding site, removing the need of a cap. A single polypeptide is made and is cleaved into individual proteins by viral proteases. The genome is divided into three parts: P1, P2, and P3. P1 encodes the virus capsid proteins, P2 and P3 encode genes required for genome replication to occur. For replication to occur an intermediate double-stranded RNA molecule is made to be used as a template for the production of positive sense genomes.[citation needed]
Mengovirus is infectious to vertebrate animals, and has been isolated from mice and other rodents. It can also cause acute fever in humans. There is no specific treatment for a Mengovirus infection; althoughdipyridamole has been shown to inhibit its replication.[4] The illness is not severe enough to require vaccination. The Mengovirus is able to suppress the host's immune response by reducing the expression ofNuclear Factor kappa B using the 5’ un-translated region.[citation needed]