Rotavirus is a virus that causes diarrhea and vomiting in infants.In developing countries, where medical development is lagging, many infants die from rotavirus infection.For rotavirus, a highly practical reverse genetics method (a technology for artificially synthesizing infectious recombinant virus) has not been established so far, which is a major obstacle to pathogenicity analysis and new vaccine development. Was there.

　Attenuated live vaccines are used worldwide as the current rotavirus vaccine, which contributes to the reduction of infant mortality due to rotavirus.On the other hand, for rotavirus, which has strong infectivity and spreads easily, it is also desired to develop a new vaccine that is cheaper and has an improved preventive effect.

　In addition to a plasmid that expresses the RNA genome of the 11-segment rotavirus, the research group used the cell fusion protein FAST and RNA capping enzyme as factors that promote artificial synthesis of recombinant virus, and artificially recombinant rotavirus. I succeeded in producing a virus.Furthermore, by applying this technology and adding mutations to a part of the rotavirus gene (NSP1), we succeeded in producing rotavirus with reduced proliferative ability and rotavirus expressing luciferase, which is a luminescent enzyme.

　The results of this research are expected to dramatically advance research and development of new rotavirus vaccines as well as elucidate the growth mechanism of rotavirus.With the development and technology of the reverse genetics method of rotavirus, which has never been seen before, rotavirus whose pathogenicity is artificially controlled by adding arbitrary modifications and rotavirus strains that are prevalent in different countries / regions. On the other hand, it is considered that it will be possible to rapidly develop a vaccine candidate strain with more antigenicity.