Establishment of Bisegmented and Trisegmented Reverse Genetics Systems to Generate Recombinant Pichindé Viruses

Pichinde virus (PICV), isolated from rice rats in Colombia, South America, is an enveloped arenavirus with a bi-segmented RNA genome. The large (L) genomic segment encodes the Z matrix protein and the L RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, whereas the small (S) genomic segment encodes the nucleoprotein (NP) and the glycoprotein (GPC). This article describes the successful development of reverse genetics systems to generate recombinant PICV with either a bi-segmented or tri-segmented genome. We have successfully demonstrated that these systems can generate high-titered and genetically-stable replication-competent viruses from plasmid transfection into appropriate cell lines. These systems demonstrate the power and versatility of reverse genetic technology to generate recombinant arenaviruses for use in pathogenesis studies and as new viral vaccine vectors.