Jembrana Disease Virus Transactivator

Jembrana disease virus (JDV) is a lentivirus with the smallest genome identified thus far. Unlike its closely relative Bovine Immunodeficiency Virus (BIV), JDV causes an acute and lethal infection specific to Bali cattle in Indonesia; a high plasma viral load coincides with the acute disease syndrome. The text describes studies on the JDV Tat, a small protein crucial for replication which upregulates the transcription of viral genome from its cognate promoter. The multiple splicing events of tat transcription leading to the production of a tat protein were investigated in vivo during the early acute phase of the disease. Sequence conservation of regions which are predicted to have important roles in RNA binding and transcription activation were demonstrated using 3 geographical JDV strains. Aspects of the antibody response were examined in naturally or experimentally infected cattle. The role of the JDV Tat in the pathogenesis of Jembrana disease and its potential use in disease control were discussed. The text represents valuable contribution to the field of lentivirology and should be of interest to students and scientists involved in basic or applied virology researches.