@article{mbs:/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-80-9-2353, author = "Rowley, Kate V. and Harvey, Ruth and Barclay, Wendy S.", title = "Isolation and characterization of a transfectant influenza B virus altered in RNA segment 6", journal= "Journal of General Virology", year = "1999", volume = "80", number = "9", pages = "2353-2359", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-80-9-2353", url = "https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-80-9-2353", publisher = "Microbiology Society", issn = "1465-2099", type = "Journal Article", abstract = "This report describes the successful generation of an influenza B transfectant virus altered in RNA segment 6, which encodes the neuraminidase (NA) protein. The procedure for selection of the transfectant virus relies on the use of strain-specific anti-NA monoclonal antibodies to inhibit growth of the helper virus within the system. A transfectant virus has been engineered which has a coding change in the NA protein. This change resulted in attenuated growth in vitro that could be rescued by addition of exogenous bacterial NA. The mutant virus-associated NA activity was unstable as a result of the engineered changes. The ability to genetically manipulate influenza B virus segment 6 will allow us to assess the function of both NA and the small protein NB, also coded from this RNA, within the context of the virus infectious cycle.", }