| title: | Investigation of papillomavirus life cycle in yeast. |
|---|---|
| reg no: | ETF5994 |
| project type: | Estonian Science Foundation research grant |
| subject: |
1.8. Molecular Biology 2.7. Biotechnology, Food and Drink Technology 3.1. Basic Medicine |
| status: | accepted |
| institution: | University of Tartu |
| head of project: | Reet Kurg |
| duration: | 01.01.2004 - 31.12.2007 |
| description: | Papillomaviruses are small DNA viruses, which infect basal epithelial and mucosal cells of their respective host species and cause benign or malignant lesions. Recent studies have shown that papillomaviruses are spread widely. Under normal conditions these infections go without clinical symptoms, but under certain circumstances papillomaviruses can transform the cell. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the major etiological factor of cervical cancer, however other infectious agents may play a role in this process without their action being really understood. The main goal of this project is to investigate if yeasts might be a surrogate host for papillomaviruses. We plan to investigate the capability of papillomaviruses to replicate, persist and form infectious particles in yeast S. cerevisiae. We also plan to investigate whether yeasts colonizing people contain or carry papillomaviruses. On the other hand we want to use the yeast S. crevisiae for biotechnological purposes - to establish the highly effective papillomavirus based pseudovirion production system in order to to generate infectious papillomavirus pseudovirions. Difficulties in generating PVs in vitro and manipulating them genetically have limited the studies of this tumour virus. Production of significant amounts of infectious particles in vitro would allow to study the late-phase events in the papillomavirus life cycle, such as virion assembly and DNA encapsidation, as well as the early phase events, such as virion recognition, uptake by the cell and transport through the cytoplasm into the nucleus to their place of replication. Infectious pseudovirions can be later used in DNA transduction experiments in the molecular biology laboratories as well as developing delivery systems for gene therapy vectors.... |
| project group | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | name | institution | position | |
| 1. | Helle Järv | TÜ Kliinikum | laborispetsialist, mükoloog | |
| 2. | Reet Kurg | University of Tartu | senior scientist | |
| 3. | Raili Randoja | "Quattromed" | laborijuhataja | |