Insect Nodaviruses
P. Arno Venter, Juan Jovel and Anette Schneemann
from: Insect Virology (Edited by: Sassan Asgari and Karyn N. Johnson). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2010)
Abstract
Nodaviruses represent a family of small, RNA-containing viruses that naturally infect insects and fish. This review describes recent advances in our understanding of the biology of insect nodaviruses, all of which are currently classified in the genus Alphanodavirus. The small genome size of nodaviruses combined with their abundant proliferation in a wide variety of cells, has allowed their use as model systems for studies on a variety of topics relevant to RNA virology. Many of these studies have been performed with Flock House virus, the most thoroughly characterized insect nodavirus. Here we summarize how research on Flock House virus and other members of this family has shed light on entry, replication and assembly of alphanodaviruses, as well as on mechanisms employed by insect viruses to counter the anti-viral immune responses of their hosts. In addition, we review potential applications of nodaviruses in nanotechnology and nanomedicine read more ...
