Rotavirus research: 2014-2020

Abstract

Rotaviruses are major causes of acute gastroenteritis in infants and young children worldwide and also cause disease in the young of many other mammalian and of avian species. During the recent 5-6 years rotavirus research has benefitted in a major way from the establishment of plasmid only-based reverse genetics systems, the creation of human and other mammalian intestinal enteroids, and from the wide application of structural biology (cryo-electron microscopy, cryo-EM tomography) and complementary biophysical approaches. All of these have permitted to gain new insights into structure-function relationships of rotaviruses and their interactions with the host. This review follows different stages of the viral replication cycle and summarizes highlights of structure-function studies of rotavirus-encoded proteins (both structural and non-structural), molecular mechanisms of viral replication including involvement of cellular proteins and lipids, the spectrum of viral genomic and antigenic diversity, progress in understanding of innate and acquired immune responses, and further developments of prevention of rotavirus-associated disease.

Keywords: Antiviral compounds; CRISPRCsy4 genome editing in viroplasms; Cellular compounds involved in rotavirus replication; Correlates of protection against rotavirus disease; Future rotavirus research; Future rotavirus vaccine candidates; Mammalian intestinal enteroids; Molecular biology of Ca2+ release in rotavirusinfected cells; Molecular biology of replication; Plasmid only-based reverse genetics; Regulation of intercellular Ca2+ waves; Rotavirus pre-genome assortment and packaging; Rotavirus vaccines - successes and challenges; Rotaviruses; Transcription and replication by rotavirus RdRp; Viroplasms as protein-RNA condensates.