Publications

[entry mechanism of morbillivirus family].	the genus morbillivirus includes measles virus, canine distemper virus and rinderpest virus. these are highly contagious and exhibit high mortality. these viruses have the attachment glycoprotein, hemagglutinin (h), at the virus surface, which bind to signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (slam) and nectin 4 as receptors for the entry. however, the molecular mechanism for this entry has been limitedly understood. here we summarize the current topics, (1) newly identified receptor, nectin 4, ( ...	2013	23649396
fao and oie ease moratorium on research on rinderpest virus.		2013	23873452
modelling the expected rate of laboratory biosafety breakdowns involving rinderpest virus in the post-eradication era.	now that we are in the rinderpest post-eradication era, attention is focused on the risk of re-introduction. a semi-quantitative risk assessment identified accidental use of rinderpest virus in laboratories as the most likely cause of re-introduction. however there is little data available on the rates of laboratory biosafety breakdowns in general. in addition, any predictions based on past events are subject to various uncertainties. the aims of this study were therefore to investigate the pote ...	2013	24029703
biochemical and structural studies of the oligomerization domain of the nipah virus phosphoprotein: evidence for an elongated coiled-coil homotrimer.	nipah virus (niv) is a recently emerged severe human pathogen that belongs to the henipavirus genus within the paramyxoviridae family. the niv genome is encapsidated by the nucleoprotein (n) within a helical nucleocapsid that is the substrate used by the polymerase for transcription and replication. the polymerase is recruited onto the nucleocapsid via its cofactor, the phosphoprotein (p). the niv p protein has a modular organization, with alternating disordered and ordered domains. among these ...	2013	24074578
[morbilliviruses].	the genus morbillivirus in the family paramyxoviridae contains many pathogens, which are important for medicine or veterinary medicine. because each morbillivirus has restricted host range and serologically monotypic, the virus infection and transmission is effectively controlled by vaccinations and surveillance. rinderpest virus has been eradicated in 2011, and elimination of measles virus progresses worldwide. recently, a new cell receptor for measles virus, nectin4 was identified. both slam, ...	2012	24153228
different functions of the common p/v/w and v-specific domains of rinderpest virus v protein in blocking ifn signalling.	the v proteins of paramyxoviruses are composed of two evolutionarily distinct domains, the n-terminal 75 % being common to the viral p, v and w proteins, and not highly conserved between viruses, whilst the remaining 25 % consists of a cysteine-rich v-specific domain, which is conserved across almost all paramyxoviruses. there is evidence supporting a number of different functions of the v proteins of morbilliviruses in blocking the signalling pathways of type i and ii ifns, but it is not clear ...	2014	24158397
the risk of rinderpest re-introduction in post-eradication era.	in 2011, ten years after the last reported outbreak, the eradication of rinderpest was declared. however, as rinderpest virus stocks still exist, there remains a risk of rinderpest re-introduction. a semi-quantitative risk assessment was conducted to assess this risk, which was defined as the probability of at least one host becoming infected and infectious outside a laboratory anywhere in the world within a one-year period. pathways leading to rinderpest re-introduction were: deliberate or acci ...	2014	24299903
the second eradication: rinderpest.	the eradication of rinderpest virus was less celebrated than the eradication of smallpox virus. however, this is only the second campaign to eradicate a virus worldwide which is successful. this gives the opportunity to recall how important rinderpest had been these past centuries for farmers and for public health.	2014	24566884
morbillivirus vaccines: recent successes and future hopes.	the impact of morbilliviruses on both human and animal populations is well documented in the history of mankind. indeed, prior to the development of vaccines for these diseases, morbilliviruses plagued both humans and their livestock that were heavily relied upon for food and motor power within communities. measles virus (mev) was responsible for the death of millions of people annually across the world and those fortunate enough to escape the disease often faced starvation where their livestock ...	2014	24703852
peste des petits ruminants virus infection of small ruminants: a comprehensive review.	peste des petits ruminants (ppr) is caused by a morbillivirus that belongs to the family paramyxoviridae. ppr is an acute, highly contagious and fatal disease primarily affecting goats and sheep, whereas cattle undergo sub-clinical infection. with morbidity and mortality rates that can be as high as 90%, ppr is classified as an oie (office international des epizooties)-listed disease. considering the importance of sheep and goats in the livelihood of the poor and marginal farmers in africa and s ...	2014	24915458
paramyxovirus glycoprotein incorporation, assembly and budding: a three way dance for infectious particle production.	paramyxoviruses are a family of negative sense rna viruses whose members cause serious diseases in humans, such as measles virus, mumps virus and respiratory syncytial virus; and in animals, such as newcastle disease virus and rinderpest virus. paramyxovirus particles form by assembly of the viral matrix protein, the ribonucleoprotein complex and the surface glycoproteins at the plasma membrane of infected cells and subsequent viral budding. two major glycoproteins expressed on the viral envelop ...	2014	25105277
morbillivirus infections: an introduction.	research on morbillivirus infections has led to exciting developments in recent years. global measles vaccination coverage has increased, resulting in a significant reduction in measles mortality. in 2011 rinderpest virus was declared globally eradicated - only the second virus to be eradicated by targeted vaccination. identification of new cellular receptors and implementation of recombinant viruses expressing fluorescent proteins in a range of model systems have provided fundamental new insigh ...	2015	25685949
molecular evolution of haemagglutinin (h) gene in measles virus.	we studied the molecular evolution of the haemagglutinin (h) gene (full length) in all genotypes (24 genotypes, 297 strains) of measles virus (mev). the gene's evolutionary timescale was estimated by the bayesian markov chain monte carlo (mcmc) method. we also analysed positive selection sites. the mcmc tree indicated that the mev h gene diverged from the rinderpest virus (same genus) about 250 years ago and that 24 mev genotypes formed 3 lineages dating back to a 1915 ancestor (95% highest post ...	2015	26130388
a carboxy terminal domain of the l protein of rinderpest virus possesses rna triphosphatase activity - the first enzyme in the viral mrna capping pathway.	the large protein l of negative-sense rna viruses is a multifunctional protein involved in transcription and replication of genomic rna. it also possesses enzymatic activities involved in capping and methylation of viral mrnas. the pathway for mrna capping followed by the l protein of the viruses in the morbillivirus genus has not been established, although it has been speculated that these viruses may follow the unconventional capping pathway as has been shown for some viruses of rhabdoviridae ...	2015	26168720
complete genome sequence of japanese vaccine strain la-ako of rinderpest virus.	rinderpest vaccine strain la-ako, which is less virulent especially to highly susceptible asian cattle breeds, was established from a lapinized vaccine strain by further passages in rabbit and chick embryos. here, we report the genome sequence of la-ako, which currently remains active for the production of an emergent vaccine in japan.	2015	26337882
evidence for n⁷ guanine methyl transferase activity encoded within the modular domain of rna-dependent rna polymerase l of a morbillivirus.	post-transcriptional modification of viral mrna is essential for the translation of viral proteins by cellular translation machinery. due to the cytoplasmic replication of paramyxoviruses, the viral-encoded rna-dependent rna polymerase (rdrp) is thought to possess all activities required for mrna capping and methylation. in the present work, using partially purified recombinant rna polymerase complex of rinderpest virus expressed in insect cells, we demonstrate the in vitro methylation of capped ...	2015	26446666
specific detection of peste des petits ruminants virus antibodies in sheep and goat sera by the luciferase immunoprecipitation system.	peste des petits ruminants (ppr) is a contagious and often fatal transboundary animal disease affecting mostly sheep, goats and wild small ruminants. this disease is endemic in most of africa, the middle, near east, and large parts of asia. the causal agent is peste des petits ruminants virus (pprv), which belongs to the genus morbillivirus in the family paramyxoviridae. this genus also includes measles virus (mv), canine distemper virus (cdv) and rinderpest virus (rpv). all are closely related ...	2016	26506137
identifying and reducing remaining stocks of rinderpest virus.	in 2011, the world was declared free from rinderpest, one of the most feared and devastating infectious diseases of animals. rinderpest is the second infectious disease, after smallpox, to have been eradicated. however, potentially infectious rinderpest virus material remains widely disseminated among research and diagnostic facilities across the world and poses a risk for disease recurrence should it be released. member countries of the world organisation for animal health and the food and agri ...	2015	26584400
mapping the evolutionary trajectories of morbilliviruses: what, where and whither.	morbilliviruses are pathogens of humans and other animals. live attenuated morbillivirus vaccines have been used to end endemic transmission of measles virus (mv) in many parts of the developed world and to eradicate rinderpest virus. entry is mediated by two different receptors which govern virus lymphotropism and epitheliotropism. morbillivirus transmissibility is unparalleled and mv represents the most infectious human pathogen on earth. their evolutionary origins remain obscure and their pot ...	2016	26921570
protection of cattle against rinderpest by vaccination with wild-type but not attenuated strains of peste des petits ruminants virus.	although rinderpest virus (rpv) has been eradicated in the wild, efforts are still continuing to restrict the extent to which live virus is distributed in facilities around the world and to prepare for any reappearance of the disease, whether through deliberate or accidental release. in an effort to find an alternative vaccine which could be used in place of the traditional live attenuated rpv strains, we have determined whether cattle can be protected from rinderpest by inoculation with vaccine ...	2016	26984722
the first report of peste des petits ruminants (ppr) in camels (camelus dromedarius) in iran.	in mid-july 2013, an outbreak of peste des petits ruminants (ppr) was observed in a herd of camels after they were imported from kuwait to the khuzestan province in southwest of iran. the clinical signs of the affected animals included sudden death, fever, oral erosion, and ecthyma like lesions, yellowish diarrhea, pneumonia and respiratory distress, enlargement of lymph node, severe dehydration, dermatitis, ulcerative keratitis, and conjunctivitis. necropsy findings included keratoconjunctiviti ...	2016	27155951
the rna triphosphatase domain of l protein of rinderpest virus exhibits pyrophosphatase and tripolyphosphatase activities.	l protein of the rinderpest virus, an archetypal paramyxovirus possesses rna-dependent rna polymerase activity which transcribes the genome into mrnas as well as replicates the rna genome. the protein also possesses rna triphosphatase (rtpase), guanylyltransferase (gtase) and methyltransferase enzyme activities responsible for capping the mrnas in a conventional pathway similar to that of the host pathway. subsequent to the earlier characterization of the gtase activity of l protein and identifi ...	2016	27170418
evolutionary characteristics of morbilliviruses during serial passages in vitro: gradual attenuation of virus virulence.	the genus morbillivirus is classified into the family paramyxoviridae, and is composed of 6 members, namely measles virus (mv), rinderpest virus (rpv), peste-des-petits-ruminants virus (pprv), canine distemper virus (cdv), phocine distemper virus (pdv) and cetacean morbillivirus (cemv). the mv, rpv, pprv and cdv have been successfully attenuated through their serial passages in vitro for the production of live vaccines. it has been demonstrated that the morbilliviral virulence in animals was pro ...	2016	27477502
enhanced immunosurveillance for animal morbilliviruses using vesicular stomatitis virus (vsv) pseudotypes.	the measurement of virus-specific neutralising antibodies represents the "gold-standard" for diagnostic serology. for animal morbilliviruses, such as peste des petits ruminants (pprv) or rinderpest virus (rpv), live virus-based neutralisation tests require high-level biocontainment to prevent the accidental escape of the infectious agents. in this study, we describe the adaptation of a replication-defective vesicular stomatitis virus (vsvδg) based pseudotyping system for the measurement of neutr ...	2016	27742221
multiplex rt-pcr and automated microarray for detection of eight bovine viruses.	microarrays can be a useful tool for pathogen detection as it allow for simultaneous interrogation of the presence of a large number of genetic sequences in a sample. however, conventional microarrays require extensive manual handling and multiple pieces of equipment for printing probes, hybridization, washing and signal detection. in this study, a reverse transcription (rt)-pcr with an accompanying novel automated microarray for simultaneous detection of eight viruses that affect cattle [vesicu ...	2016	27878975