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DNA comparisons of the two orthopoxviruses monkeypox and variola
Although smallpox has been eradicated there are animal poxviruses which are closely related. It is desirable to measure the closeness of this relation to assess whether Variola virus could re-emerge as a complex mutant of an animal poxvirus. The most likely candidate is Monkeypox, which can produce...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Division of Medical Biochemistry and Structural Biology
2017
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| _version_ | 1867613233307713537 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Pare, Nicola Jennifer |
| author2 | Dumbell, K R |
| author_browse | Dumbell, K R Pare, Nicola Jennifer |
| author_facet | Dumbell, K R Pare, Nicola Jennifer |
| author_sort | Pare, Nicola Jennifer |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Although smallpox has been eradicated there are animal poxviruses which are closely related. It is desirable to measure the closeness of this relation to assess whether Variola virus could re-emerge as a complex mutant of an animal poxvirus. The most likely candidate is Monkeypox, which can produce human infection clinically resembling smallpox. The work in this thesis is the beginning of a detailed comparison of the DNA of Variola and Monkeypox. A 15.3kb section of the Variola genome was compared with a corresponding 14.4kb region of Monkeypox. This enabled both a comparison of corresponding sequences and the location of a short sequence present only in variola. Initially restriction enzyme mapping of the two stretches of DNA showed considerable homology and narrowed down the area containing any nonhomologous Variola sequences to within 2.9kb. Sequence comparisons show a level of 96% similarity. When the 2.9kb Variola fragment was compared with the corresponding 2.4kb Monkeypox fragment, a 400bp insert was found in Variola flanked by sequences common to both viruses. Analysis of the insert revealed two overlapping open reading frames present on opposite DNA strands. The DNA and putative polypeptide sequences were compared with known sequences, but no significant homology was detected. The presence or absence of this sequence in other orthopoxviruses is being established, but the expression of these open reading frames in vivo and function of the putative polypeptides is still to be investigated. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/26601 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:32:52.713Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publishDateRange | 2017 |
| publishDateSort | 2017 |
| publisher | Division of Medical Biochemistry and Structural Biology |
| publisherStr | Division of Medical Biochemistry and Structural Biology |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/26601 DNA comparisons of the two orthopoxviruses monkeypox and variola Pare, Nicola Jennifer Dumbell, K R Poxviruses Although smallpox has been eradicated there are animal poxviruses which are closely related. It is desirable to measure the closeness of this relation to assess whether Variola virus could re-emerge as a complex mutant of an animal poxvirus. The most likely candidate is Monkeypox, which can produce human infection clinically resembling smallpox. The work in this thesis is the beginning of a detailed comparison of the DNA of Variola and Monkeypox. A 15.3kb section of the Variola genome was compared with a corresponding 14.4kb region of Monkeypox. This enabled both a comparison of corresponding sequences and the location of a short sequence present only in variola. Initially restriction enzyme mapping of the two stretches of DNA showed considerable homology and narrowed down the area containing any nonhomologous Variola sequences to within 2.9kb. Sequence comparisons show a level of 96% similarity. When the 2.9kb Variola fragment was compared with the corresponding 2.4kb Monkeypox fragment, a 400bp insert was found in Variola flanked by sequences common to both viruses. Analysis of the insert revealed two overlapping open reading frames present on opposite DNA strands. The DNA and putative polypeptide sequences were compared with known sequences, but no significant homology was detected. The presence or absence of this sequence in other orthopoxviruses is being established, but the expression of these open reading frames in vivo and function of the putative polypeptides is still to be investigated. 2017-12-13T14:16:02Z 2017-12-13T14:16:02Z 1988 Master Thesis Masters MSc (Med) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26601 eng application/pdf Division of Medical Biochemistry and Structural Biology Faculty of Health Sciences University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Poxviruses Pare, Nicola Jennifer DNA comparisons of the two orthopoxviruses monkeypox and variola |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | DNA comparisons of the two orthopoxviruses monkeypox and variola |
| title_full | DNA comparisons of the two orthopoxviruses monkeypox and variola |
| title_fullStr | DNA comparisons of the two orthopoxviruses monkeypox and variola |
| title_full_unstemmed | DNA comparisons of the two orthopoxviruses monkeypox and variola |
| title_short | DNA comparisons of the two orthopoxviruses monkeypox and variola |
| title_sort | dna comparisons of the two orthopoxviruses monkeypox and variola |
| topic | Poxviruses |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26601 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT parenicolajennifer dnacomparisonsofthetwoorthopoxvirusesmonkeypoxandvariola |