Host cell gene expression profile in ectromelia virus infected mouse RAW cells at 2, 16 hours post infection

The poxviruses are a family of linear double-stranded DNA viruses about 130 to 230 kbp, that belong to the family Poxviridae. The poxviruses have an animal origin and have evolved to infect a wide host range. Variola virus (VARV), the causative agent of smallpox, is a poxvirus that infect only humans, but other poxviruses such monkey pox virus and cowpox virus have also across over from animals to infect humans. Therefor understanding the biology of poxviruses can help to devise antiviral strategies. In this study we used a system-based approach to examine the host responses to three different orthopoxviruses, CPXV, VACV and ECTV in the murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cell line. The ectromelia virus infected mouse RAW cells were harvested at 2 and 16 hpi and RNA extraction was performed using standard protocol as described by Affymetrix. The aim of this experiment is to analyze host cell response to ectromelia virus infection.

痘病毒（poxviruses）是一类长度为130~230千碱基对的线性双链DNA病毒，隶属于痘病毒科（Poxviridae）。该类病毒起源于动物，并演化出广泛的宿主感染谱。天花病毒（Variola virus, VARV）是天花的病原体，属于仅感染人类的痘病毒；而猴痘病毒、牛痘病毒等其他痘病毒亦可跨种传播，由动物感染人类。因此，解析痘病毒的生物学特性有助于开发抗病毒防控策略。本研究采用基于系统生物学的分析方法，探究鼠源巨噬细胞RAW 264.7细胞系对三种正痘病毒——牛痘病毒（CPXV）、痘苗病毒（VACV）以及鼠痘病毒（ECTV）的宿主应答反应。研究人员于感染后2小时和16小时（hours post infection, hpi）收集被鼠痘病毒感染的RAW细胞，并依照Affymetrix公司公布的标准实验方案完成RNA提取。本实验的研究目标为解析宿主细胞对鼠痘病毒感染的应答反应。