Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicons with adaptive mutations in the genome and uses thereof

摘要

The present invention provides a Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon RNA useful in the development of stable lines of mammalian, avian and insect cells in which these replicons will persistently replicate. Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) virus replicons contain a number of unique adaptive mutations that make the replicons noncytopathic. The replicons remain resistant to IFN-α/β. Replicon replication leads to high-level production of heterologous proteins, which are encoded by the replicons' genome and are under the control of a viral subgenomic promoter. Also provided are methods of screening for inhibitory compounds of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replication and eastern equine encephalitis virus replication.