Discrete Virus Factories Form in the Cytoplasm of Cells Coinfected with Two Replication-Competent Tagged Reporter Birnaviruses That Subsequently Coalesce over Time
Elle A. Campbell, Vishwanatha R. A. P. Reddy, Alice G. Gray, Joanna Wells, Jennifer Simpson, Michael A. Skinner, Philippa C. Hawes, Andrew Broadbent
Abstract
Reassortment is common in viruses with segmented double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) genomes. However, these viruses typically replicate within discrete cytoplasmic virus factories (VFs) that may represent a barrier to genome mixing. We generated the first replication competent tagged reporter birnaviruses, infectious bursal disease viruses (IBDVs) containing a split GFP11 or tetracysteine (TC) tag and used the viruses to track the location and movement of IBDV VFs, in order to better understand the intracellular dynamics of VFs during a coinfection. Discrete VFs initially formed from each virus that subsequently coalesced from 10 h postinfection. We hypothesize that VF coalescence is required for the reassortment of the Birnaviridae . This study provides new information that adds to our understanding of dsRNA virus VF trafficking.