GENETICS OF THE ROTAVIRUSES

Genetic analyses have contributed significantly to our understanding o f the biology of the rotaviruses. The distinguishing feature of the vi rus is a genome consisting of 11 segments of double-stranded RNA. The segmented nature of the genome allows reassortment of genome segments during mixed infections, which is the major distinguishing feature of rotavirus genetics. Reassortment has been a powerful tool for mapping viral mutations and other determinants of biological phenotypes to spe cific genome segments. However, more detailed genetic analysis of rota viruses is currently limited by the inability to perform reverse genet ics. Development of a reverse genetic system will facilitate analysis of the molecular mechanisms involved in various genetic, biochemical, and biological phenomena of the virus.