African swine fever virus genome mapped

Researchers at UCL and the Pirbright Institute have mapped the expression of genes across the entire African swine fever virus (ASFV) genome, which has helped to establish their order of activation as well as uncovering new genes. The research, published in the Journal of Virology , could provide vital information for those developing vaccines and antiviral drugs to prevent the deadly pig disease caused by the virus. ASFV causes an often lethal haemorrhagic fever in domestic pigs and wild boar. Major African swine fever outbreaks continue to spread across Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa, which in 2019 resulted in the death of nearly seven million pigs. In the absence of a vaccine or antivirals, the only way to prevent outbreaks is through biosecurity measures to prevent transmission. "Our data shows ASFV has a complex and mammalian-like method for controlling gene expression, that uses specific promoters to enable RNA polymerase to differentiate between  which  genes it should express  when  during viral infection. Our study has also uncovered over 30 novel genes that were previously unknown," said lead author Professor Finn Werner (UCL Structural & Molecular Biology).