Genetic comparison of the rhabdoviruses from animals and plants.

There are more than 160 viral species in the Rhabdovidae family, most of which can be grouped into one of the six genera including Vesiculovirus, Lyssavirus, Ephemerovirus, Novirhabdovirus, Cytorhabdovirus, and Nucleorhabdovirus. These viruses are not only morphologically similar but also genetically related. Analysis of viral genes shows that rhabdoviruses are more closely related to each other than to viruses in other families. With the development of reverse genetics, the functions of many cis- and trans-elements important in the process of viral transcription and replication have been clearly defined such as the leader, trailer, and the intergenic sequences. Furthermore, it has been shown that there are two entry sites for the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase: 3' entry for leader synthesis and RNA replication, and direct entry at the N gene start sequence for transcription of the monocistronic mRNAs.