Molecular Biology of Birnavirus

Research Summary

Our main virus model is the infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), the etiological agent of an acute immunosuppressive disease affecting domestic chickens. Our group is mainly interested in birnavirus structure and morphogenesis; and in the molecular basis for IBDV virulence.

Research Lines

The Birnaviridae family groups a small number of species of non-enveloped, single shelled, icosahedral viruses harboring bipartite dsRNA genomes. Members of this unconventional dsRNA virus family include pathogens affecting a wide variety of animal species. The infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), our main study model, is the etiological agent of an extremely contagious, immunosuppressive disease affecting domestic chickens with a major socio-economic impact to the Poultry Industry world-wide. During the past few years, our work has been mainly focused to deciphering the molecular basis underlying IBDV pathogenesis and the establishment of persistent infections. In addition to this, our team has devoted a great deal of effort to SARS-CoV-2 research, developing new diagnostic tools as well as a subunit vaccine candidate using dimers of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike polypeptide.

Generation of DF-1 cell cultures persistently infected with IBDV. DF-1 cell monolayers were infected with IBDV using a multiplicity of infection of 3 plaque forming units per cell. Cultures were maintained for three weeks and then either stained with crystal violet, to visualise surviving cell clones (left panel), or processed for immunofluorescence microscopy (right panel) to detect the virus-encoded VP3 polypeptide (green). Cell nuclei (blue) were stained with DAPI. The inset at the left panel show a x2.5 magnification of the boxed area.

Publications

Group Members