Development and Characterization of West Nile Virus Replicon Expressing Secreted Gaussia Luciferase

We developed a Gaussia luciferase （Gluc） reporter replicon of West Nile virus （WNV） and used it to quantify viral translation and RNA replication. The advantage of the Gluc replicon is that Gaussia luciferase is secreted into the culture medium from cells transfected with Gluc replicon RNA, and the medium can be assayed directly for luciferase activity. Using a known Flavivirus inhibitor （NITD008）, we demonstrated that the Gluc-WNV replicon could be used for antiviral screening. The Gluc-WNV-Rep will be useful for research in antiviral drug development programs, as well as for studying viral replication and pathogenesis of WNV.