Porcine enteric calicivirus (PEC) is a member of the genus Sapovirus in the family Caliciviridae. This virus causes diarrheal illness in pigs. In addition, PEC serves as an important model for the study of enteric caliciviruses that cause diarrhea and that cannot be grown in cell culture (including the noroviruses represented by Norwalk virus and the sapoviruses represented by Sapporo virus). The development of an infectious cDNA clone is important because it enables the use of “reverse genetics” to engineer mutations of interest into the genome of PEC and to study their effects. In addition, it allows the introduction of foreign coding sequences into the genome of PEC that could be useful for vaccine development in swine and possibly humans. This discovery has both basic research applications such as mapping mutations involved in tissue culture adaptation, tissue tropism, and virulence as well as practical applications such as providing a genetic backbone for the development of chimeric vaccine viruses.

The materials are further described in KO Chang et al., "Cell-culture propagation of porcine enteric calicivirus mediated by intestinal contents is dependent on the cyclic AMP signaling pathway," Virology. 2002 Dec 20;304(2):302-310. [PubMed abs]

HHS Reference No. E-214-2003/0 -- Research Material

Inventors:
Kyeong-Ok Chang (NIAID), Stanislav V. Sosnovtsev (NIAID), Gael M. Belliot (NIAID), Kim Y. Green (NIAID), et al.

Licensees Sought:
The materials embodied in this invention are available nonexclusively through a biological materials license.

Collaborative Research Opportunity:
The Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, NIAID, NIH, is seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop, evaluate, or commercialize reagents derived from an infectious cDNA copy of the genome of porcine enteric calicivirus. Please contact Kim Y. Green at kgreen@niaid.nih.gov for more information.