蛙病毒是引起水生动物严重系统性疾病的滥感染性病原。这类病毒属于虹彩病毒科，为一类能感染蛙、鲵、鱼等多类群变温脊椎动物的病毒，已在全球各地不同水产动物中跨种传播和流行。近些年，我们实验室剖析了不同蛙病毒，如牛蛙病毒 (RGV) 和大鲵病毒 (ADRV) 的全基因组序列，并构建出具有双荧光标记可控基因表达的重组蛙病毒。在此基础上，本项目拟围绕蛙病毒基因组与基因变异和跨种传播的相关性、以及水产动物的抗病毒机制深入开展研究。通过系列探讨，了解蛙病毒的基因组架构及其结构变异特征，鉴定蛙病毒与宿主识别、跨种传播、免疫逃逸等病毒与宿主细胞或机体相互作用的相关基因；揭示水产动物抗病毒侵染的主效基因及其如何保护自身免受蛙病毒攻击的分子机制。进而，这些研究的突破将为阐明蛙病毒的适应性变异影响其跨种传播的原由、认识水产动物抗病毒的分子机制，并为研发有效阻断蛙病毒跨种传播及水产动物病毒病防控策略提供新见解。

Ranaviruses are promiscuous pathogens that usually cause fatal systemic diseases among cultured and wild aquatic animals. These ranaviruses can infect multi-taxa ectothermic vertebrates including amphibians, reptiles and teleost fishes, and their cross-species transmission has been widely occurred in aquaculture animals worldwide. Recently, our laboratory has anatomized the complete genome sequences of different ranaviruses, such as Rana grylio virus (RGV) and Chinese giant salamander Andrias davidianus ranavirus (ADRV), and constructed the recombinant RGV ranavirus with inducible lac repressor/operator system and double fluorescent labeling. On these bases, this research project intends to further investigate genetic relationship between genome and gene variation and cross-species transmission of ranaviruses, and to reveal antiviral mechanisms of the infected aquaculture animals. Through a series of studies, the genetic features of genome architecture and structure variation in ranaviruses will be understood, the pathogenicity-related genes that contribute to the host recognition, cross-species transmission, immune evasion, and interaction between virus and the host cells or the organisms will be identified, and the major antiviral genes and molecular mechanisms of the infected aquaculture animals that protect themselves against ranavirus pathogens attack will be revealed. Furthermore, the breakthroughs of these studies will provide new insights for understanding the reasons how the adaption variations of ranaviruses affect cross-species transmission, for recognizing the antiviral molecular mechanisms of aquaculture animals, and thereby for developing effective blocking strategies for cross-species transmission and disease emergence of ranaviruses.