Host: Virus infects invertebrates, plants, and vertebrates.
Genome: RNA. Single stranded. Linear; genomic nucleic acid usually negative sense, or positive sense (full length up to 5% in a viral RNA population; hairpin RNA forms are also found). Genome monopartite. Total genome 11000-15000 nucleotides long. Nucleotide sequences of 3'-terminus are inverted and complementary to similar regions on the 5' end. 5' terminus has a triphosphate. 3' terminus has no poly (A) tract. Encapsidated nucleic acid solely genomic. Each virion contains full length copy, or shorter copies.
Morphology: Distinct viral structures visible in thin sections of infected tissue; virions enveloped, or not enveloped (in viruses that are considered possible species of the family); virions slightly pleomorphic; virions in unfixed preparations bullet-shaped, or bacilliform (in cases of plant viruses when fixed prior to negative staining); virions 45-100 nm in diameter; virions 100-430 nm long. Surface projections of envelope distinct; spikes (5-10 nm long and about 3 nm in diameter. They consist of trimers of the virus glycoprotein); dispersed evenly over all the surface (except for the quasiplanar end of bullet-shaped viruses. A honeycomb pattern of peplomers is observed on the surface of some viruses). Capsids filamentous (when uncoiled). Nucleocapsid consists of an RNA and N protein complex together with an NS (M1) proteins and is surrounded by a lipid envelope containing M (M2) protein. The nucleocapsid contains transcriptase activity and is infectious. Nucleocapsids with obvious regular surface structure; uncoiled about 700 nm long; uncoiled 20 nm in diameter, or 30-70 nm in diameter. Symmetry helical. Nucleocapsids cross-banded (spaced 4.5-5 nm, in negatively stained preparations and thin sections). Incomplete virus particles present (defective particles proportionally shorter). Virions only of one kind (that is a virus with defective genome, usually significantly shorter than the full length).
(Note: for more information about the taxonomy and structure of this virus, see the ICTV database below.)
More Information: | |
Taxonomy: | ICTV Data |
WWW Sites: | ATV Sites! |
Tutorials: | ATV Tutorial |
Rhabdoviridae Images: | ||||
Genus | EM Images | Example Virus Name | Description of Image | |
|
rhabdovirus | Colorized-enhanced versions of an EM photograph by George Musil, Florida; kept at website of the Institute for Molecular Virology - Wisconsin. The original photograph was taken from the "Archive of Thorben Lundsgaard, C.J. Woolston and Ed Rybicki". | ||
|
rhabdovirus | Viral particles seen by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at a magnification of 48,000x on a Fish Epithelial Cell. This image is from Dennis Kunkel's excellent Microscopy Science and Photography Through a Microscope web site. | ||
|
|
vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus | ||
|
vesicular stomatitis virus | |||
|
![]() |
rabies virus | from Frederick A. Murphy, now at U.C. Davis. | |
|
rabies virus | With electron microscopy, rabies virion shows a 75 nm mean diameter, and a length varying between 130 and 300 nm (mean: 180 nm); spike-like projections (9 nm long) can be seen on the viral envelope. | ||
|
Rabies virions | Bullet-shaped rabies virions with glycoprotein-studded envelopes. The "spikes" cover the entire envelope surface, including the quasiplanar ends of the viruses. This image is from ATV's Special Rabies page by Steven K. Vernon, of Wyeth-Ayerst Research | ||
|
Rabies virus cartoon | Diagrammatic representation of the rabies virion deduced from electron microscopy and protein analyses. This image is from ATV's Special Rabies page by Steven K. Vernon, of Wyeth-Ayerst Research | ||
|
rabies virus diagram | This cartoon shows the general structure and identifies the major components. | ||
|
rabies virus | Negatively stained rabies virus seen by transmission electron microscopy. From the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health. | ||
|
rabies virus in a Purkinje cell | In this electron micrograph of a Purkinje cell, the rabies virions appear as clusters of electron dense material on either side of the nucleus. The nucleus is just to the left of center. | ||
|
|
bovine ephemeral fever virus | ||
|
|
lettuce necrotic yellows virus | ||
|
|
potato yellow dwarf virus |
Big Picture Book of Viruses - FAQ - Submit a Site - All the Virology on the WWW
© 1995-2007. D. Sander | Established 5/95. |