# THE MECHANISM OF SYNTHESIS OF SMALL VIRUSES

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 1987 · $141,688

## Abstract

The purpose of this work is to study the fundamental processes of genome
replication, viral protein synthesis and virion assembly and their
interrelationship for certain mRNA viruses.  We are especially concerned
with these processes at the molecular level and thus have selected for
study three viruses whose physical and genetic structure is especially well
understood, and for which appropriate synthesizing systems and
methodologies are available.  We will work with a) brome mosaic virus
(BMV), a divided-genome, single-stranded RNA plant virus; b) black beetle
virus (BBV) a divided-genome, single-stranded RNA insect virus; and c)
southern bean mosaic virus (SBMV) a single genome, mRNA plant virus.

For BMV and BBV, and as appropriate for SBMV, we will identify, and
kinetically and structurally relate, the intermediate and final products of
synthesis of the genomic and especially the subgenomic RNAs.  We will
quantitate and measure the time course of the syntheses by direct
measurements of fractionated radioactive products and by probing their
presence with radioactive cDNA and cRNA.  We will study binding of viral
RNA and RNA fragments with protein and protein fragments to analyze the
interactions governing RNA replication and virion assembly.

We will genetically engineer viral cDNA to give large-scale production of
particular viral proteins for enzymatic reconstitution studies,
antibody-mediated inhibition studies and RNA binding studies.

We will devise systems in which viral cDNAs are infectious and utilize
these for functional studies of regulatory and coding sequences, the
construction of genetic vectors and the development of synthetic defective
interfering particles for the control of viral infections.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3126159
- **Project number:** 5R01AI015342-14
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **SAM.gov UEI:** LCLSJAGTNZQ7
- **Principal Investigator:** PAUL J KAESBERG
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $141,688
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1979-04-01 → 1989-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3126159

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3126159, THE MECHANISM OF SYNTHESIS OF SMALL VIRUSES (5R01AI015342-14). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3126159. Licensed CC0.

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