Construction of Full-length Infectious Clone for Encephalomyocarditis Virus BJC3 and Identification of the Rescued Virus

<正>The objective of this study was to construct the infectious clone of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) BJC3 strain.The genomic cDNA of the virus was amplified by three overlapping segments using RT-PCR,and cloned into low-copy plasmid pWSK29 to construct the full-length cDNA clone pWSKBJC3/ w.The pWSKBJC3/w was in vitro transcribed and transfected into BHK-21 cells to rescue the virus.The results showed that the full-length cDNA clone was infectious and the virus could be rescued in BHK-21 cells.The rescued virus designated RvBJC3W was identified by RT-PCR and indirect immunofluorescence assay(IFA).The rescued virus had similar growth characteristics to its parental virus BJC3 and retained pathogenicity for mice.Our results indicate that the first infectious cDNA clone of EMCV in China has been successfully established and provides an essential tool for investigating the molecular basis of pathogenicity of EMCV.