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Biotech / Medical : SARS and Avian Flu
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To: Biomaven who wrote (292)4/22/2003 10:13:09 PM
From: Torben Noerup Nielsen  Read Replies (1) of 4232
 
Peter,

"Certainly you would expect mutations in a coronavirus because it is an RNA virus that doesn't have the "error-checking" that some other viruses have."

DNA viruses that replicate using cellular DNA polymerase are subject to normal cellular DNA error correction mechanisms.

Note that there are DNA viruses that do not use cellular DNA polymerase. All of the Poxviridae replicate have genomes that encode their own DNA polymerases. That is necessary since they replicate in the cytoplasm. For a good reference, see Fields Virology, Volume 2.

It will be interesting to find out what the gene that is mutating actually encodes. If that is the cause of the varying virulence, SARS could be rapidly weaponized.

Torben
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