Chordopoxvirinae

Chordopoxvirinae is a subfamily of viruses in the family Poxviridae. Members of this subfamily are known to infect vertebrates. The name is derived from the Greek chorda meaning cord or string, referring to the appearance of the virions under an electron microscope.

Structure

Viruses in Chordopoxvirinae are enveloped, with brick-shaped geometries. The size of these viruses typically ranges between 200nm and 300nm. The genome is linear, around 130-375kb in length. The genome codes for 200 to 300 proteins.

Life Cycle

Viral replication is cytoplasmic. Entry into the host cell is achieved by attachment of the viral proteins to host glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which mediates endocytosis of the virus into the host cell. Replication follows the DNA strand displacement model. DNA-templated transcription, with some alternative splicing mechanism is the method of transcription. The virus exits the host cell by budding, and tubule-guided viral movement. Vertebrates serve as the natural host.

Genera

The following genera are recognized:

• Avipoxvirus
• Capripoxvirus
• Cervidpoxvirus
• Leporipoxvirus
• Macropopoxvirus
• Molluscipoxvirus
• Orthopoxvirus
• Parapoxvirus
• Suipoxvirus
• Yatapoxvirus

Clinical

Infections with Chordopoxvirinae can cause a variety of diseases in their hosts, depending on the specific virus and host species. For example, Orthopoxvirus includes the variola virus, which causes smallpox in humans.

See Also

• Poxviridae
• Virus classification
• Viral diseases

References

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External Links

• NCBI Taxonomy Browser

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