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42-419: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 ( SARS-CoV-1 ), previously known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus ( SARS-CoV ), is a strain of coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome ( SARS ), the respiratory illness responsible for the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak . It is an enveloped , positive-sense , single-stranded RNA virus that infects the epithelial cells within

84-667: A zoonotic origin of the virus: more than 33% of the first detected cases of SARS in Guangdong corresponded to animal or food handlers. Seroprevalence studies reinforced this zoonotic link (a high proportion of asymptomatic animal handlers at markets in Guangdong Province had antibodies against SARS-CoV). On April 12, 2003, scientists working at the Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre in Vancouver finished mapping

126-686: A B.Sc. in Molecular & Cell Biology and a PhD in Genetics from Simon Fraser University. The title of his PhD thesis : “Genome analysis in Caenorhabditis elegans : Genetic and molecular identification of genes tightly linked to unc-22(IV)” . Marra trained as a post-doctoral fellow at the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis , Missouri. He went on to become Group Leader of both

168-541: A GSC initiative, Marra played a pivotal role in the first proof-of-concept for the effective use of whole genome analyses in personalized cancer medicine, leading to the development of BC Cancer’s Personalized OncoGenomics (POG) program. POG, co-led by Dr. Janessa Laskin, represents one of the first applications of whole genome sequencing in a clinical setting, using information derived from thousands of individual cancer genomes and transcriptomes to identify promising therapeutic targets in individual patients. In 2019, Marra and

210-413: A chassis for the expression of simple proteins. These strains, such as BL21, are genetically modified to minimize protease activity, hence enabling potential for high efficiency industrial scale protein production . Strains of yeasts are the most common subjects of eukaryotic genetic modification, especially with respect to industrial fermentation . The term has no official ranking status in botany;

252-456: A rice plant, all the descendants of the genetically modified rice plant are a strain with unique genetic information that is passed on to later generations; the strain designation, which is normally a number or a formal name, covers all the plants that descend from the originally modified plant. The rice plants in the strain can be bred to other rice strains or cultivars , and if desirable plants are produced, these are further bred to stabilize

294-454: Is a decrease in the number of lymphocytes circulating in the blood. In the SARS outbreak of 2003, about 9% of patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-1 infection died. The mortality rate was much higher for those over 60 years old, with mortality rates approaching 50% for this subset of patients. In March 2003, WHO established a global network of leading laboratories to collaborate in the identification of

336-437: Is considered genetically identical after 20 generations of sibling-mating. Many rodent strains have been developed for a variety of disease models, and they are also often used to test drug toxicity. The common fruit fly ( Drosophila melanogaster ) was among the first organisms used for genetic analysis , has a simple genome , and is very well understood. It has remained a popular model organism for many other reasons, like

378-421: Is most common species for prokaryotic strain engineering. Scientists have succeeded in establishing viable minimal genomes from which new strains can be developed. These minimal strains provide a near guarantee that experiments on genes outside the minimal framework will not be effected by non-essential pathways. Optimized strains of E. coli are typically used for this application. E. coli are also often used as

420-502: Is shared with scientists worldwide via the GSC website (see below). Donald Low of Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto described the discovery as having been made with "unprecedented speed". The sequence of the SARS coronavirus has since been confirmed by other independent groups. Molecular epidemiological research demonstrated the virus isolated in 2002–2003 in south China and the virus isolated in

462-456: Is unknown whether the virus was originally introduced to the market by civets, humans, or another animal. In 2005, two studies identified a number of SARS-like coronaviruses in Chinese bats . Although the bat SARS virus did not replicate in cell culture, in 2008, American researchers altered the genetic structure of bat SARS virus with the human receptor binding domain both in the bat virus and in

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504-797: The BC Cancer Research Centre and Professor of Medical Genetics at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He also serves as UBC Canada Research Chair in Genome Science for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and is an inductee in the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame . Marra has been instrumental in bringing genome science to Canada by demonstrating the pivotal role that genomics can play in human health and disease research. Canadian born and educated, Dr. Marco Marra received

546-540: The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the University of Hong Kong and the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention established a genetic link between the SARS coronavirus appearing in civets and humans, confirming claims that the virus might have transmitted from the animal species to humans. Infected palm civets at the market were traced to farms where no infected animals were found. It

588-491: The H5N1 influenza virus. While funding for such research has aroused controversy at times due to safety concerns, leading to a temporary pause, it has subsequently proceeded. In biotechnology, microbial strains have been constructed to establish metabolic pathways suitable for treating a variety of applications. Historically, a major effort of metabolic research has been devoted to the field of biofuel production. Escherichia coli

630-688: The genetic sequence of a coronavirus believed to be linked to SARS. The team was led by Marco Marra and Caroline Astell and worked in collaboration with the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg , Manitoba , using samples from infected patients in Toronto . The map, hailed by the WHO as an important step forward in fighting SARS,

672-402: The 15 February 2001 issue of Nature, titled "A physical map of the human genome", describes the construction and use of the human genome map to fuel human genome sequencing. Marra made fundamental contributions to that effort by devising and then implementing clonal fingerprinting techniques that led to the construction and use of the map, which served as the centralized coordinating resource for

714-741: The Department of Medical Genetics in the Faculty of Medicine at UBC. From 2011 to 2018, Marra founded and co-directed the Genome Science and Technology Graduate Program at UBC. He also lent his expertise to the Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry at Simon Fraser University, serving as Adjunct Professor from 2001 to 2015. Marra currently holds the position of BC Node Leader for the Terry Fox Research Institute. Marra took over as Director of Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre (GSC) when Dr. Smith died of cancer in 2000. As of 2021,

756-732: The EST (Express Sequence Tag) Sequencing Team and Genome Fingerprinting and Mapping Teams at Washington University in St. Louis ’s Genome Sequence Center (renamed the McDonnell Genome Institute ), one of the top two sequencing centers in the world at that time. In 1998, Nobel Laureate Dr. Michael Smith and Dr. Victor Ling set out to establish the Genome Sequence Centre in Vancouver. At their request, Marra returned to British Columbia to head

798-429: The GSC has more than 280 scientists, trainees and staff and a grant funding level averaging more than 25 million dollars each year. Marra has mentored many scientists and graduate students who are now providing the expertise and insight needed to fulfill the promise of genomics through technological innovation, enhanced informatics and creative clinical applications. Along with GSC co-director, Dr. Steven J.M. Jones, Marra

840-565: The GSC joined the Canadian COVID Genomics Network (CanCOGeN), a Genome Canada initiative to generate accessible and usable genomics data to inform COVID-19 public health decisions. The GSC was one of the first three facilities involved in sequencing 10,000 Canadians that tested positive for the virus (HostSeq) for this Government of Canada funded project. Research co-led by Marra also identified an alternative procedure for extracting nucleic acids for COVID-19 testing. As part of

882-499: The Mapping and Sequencing teams. During his first two years with British Columbia’s Genome Sequence Center (renamed Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre), Marra served as head of the Mapping and Sequencing teams, Associate Director and Scientific Co-Director. He also held the position of Senior Scientist at BC Cancer Research and Adjunct Professor for the Department of Medical Genetics. Marra subsequently became Professor and Head of

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924-478: The Netherlands, demonstrated that the SARS coronavirus fulfilled Koch's postulates , thereby confirming it as the causative agent. In the experiments, macaques infected with the virus developed the same symptoms as human SARS patients. A virus very similar to SARS was discovered in late 2019. This virus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is the causative pathogen of COVID-19 ,

966-608: The POG team became a key part of the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network. Led by the Terry Fox Research Institute and the Terry Fox Foundation , with support from dozens of research and funding partners across Canada, this represents the country’s largest ever clinical data-sharing initiative. The Marathon of Hope aims to accelerate the adoption of precision medicine for cancer patients throughout Canada.   Marra continues to extend

1008-1454: The Yunnan cave of WIV16 or in other yet-to-be-identified bat caves is considered highly likely. A phylogenetic tree based on whole-genome sequences of SARS-CoV-1 and related coronaviruses is: 16BO133 , 86.3% to SARS-CoV-1, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum , North Jeolla , South Korea JTMC15 , 86.4% to SARS-CoV-1, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum , Tonghua , Jilin Bat SARS CoV Rf1, 87.8% to SARS-CoV-1, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum , Yichang , Hubei BtCoV HKU3, 87.9% to SARS-CoV-1, Rhinolophus sinicus , Hong Kong and Guangdong LYRa11 , 90.9% to SARS-CoV-1, Rhinolophus affinis , Baoshan , Yunnan Bat SARS-CoV/Rp3, 92.6% to SARS-CoV-1, Rhinolophus pearsoni , Nanning , Guangxi Bat SL-CoV YNLF_31C, 93.5% to SARS-CoV-1, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum , Lufeng , Yunnan Bat SL-CoV YNLF_34C, 93.5% to SARS-CoV-1, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum , Lufeng , Yunnan SHC014-CoV , 95.4% to SARS-CoV-1, Rhinolophus sinicus , Kunming , Yunnan WIV1 , 95.6% to SARS-CoV-1, Rhinolophus sinicus , Kunming , Yunnan WIV16 , 96.0% to SARS-CoV-1, Rhinolophus sinicus Kunming , Yunnan Civet SARS-CoV , 99.8% to SARS-CoV-1, Paguma larvata , market in Guangdong, China SARS-CoV-1 SARS-CoV-2 , 79% to SARS-CoV-1 SARS-CoV-1 follows

1050-424: The causative agent of SARS. Early on, labs in the network narrowed the search to members of the paramyxovirus and coronavirus families. Early findings shared by the labs pointed to coronaviruses with increasing consistency. On 21 March, scientists from the University of Hong Kong announced the isolation of a new virus that was strongly suspected to be the causative agent of SARS. Epidemiological evidence suggested

1092-481: The desirable traits; the stabilized plants that can be propagated and "come true" (remain identical to the parent plant) are given a cultivar name and released into production to be used by farmers. A laboratory mouse or rat strain is a group of animals that is genetically uniform. Strains are used in laboratory experiments. Mouse strains can be inbred , mutated , or genetically modified , while rat strains are usually inbred . A given inbred rodent population

1134-466: The ease of its breeding and maintenance, and the speed and volume of its reproduction. Various specific strains have been developed, including a flightless version with stunted wings (also used in the pet trade as live food for small reptiles and amphibians). Marco Marra Distinguished Scientist, BC Cancer Research Institute, BC Cancer Marco A. Marra is a Distinguished Scientist and Director of Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre at

1176-567: The local market in Guangdong , China, found a strain of SARS coronavirus could be isolated from masked palm civets ( Paguma sp.), but the animals did not always show clinical signs. The preliminary conclusion was the SARS virus crossed the species barrier from palm civet to humans, and more than 10,000 masked palm civets were killed in Guangdong Province. The virus was also later found in raccoon dogs ( Nyctereuteus sp.), ferret badgers ( Melogale spp.), and domestic cats. In 2004, scientists from

1218-554: The lungs. The virus enters the host cell by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 . It infects humans , bats , and palm civets . The SARS-CoV-1 outbreak was largely brought under control by simple public health measures. Testing people with symptoms (fever and respiratory problems), isolating and quarantining suspected cases, and restricting travel all had an effect. SARS-CoV-1 was most transmissible when patients were sick, so its spread could be effectively suppressed by isolating patients with symptoms. On April 16, 2003, following

1260-400: The mice which demonstrated how zoonosis might occur in evolution. Phylogenetic analysis of these viruses indicated a high probability that SARS coronavirus originated in bats and spread to humans either directly or through animals held in Chinese markets. The bats did not show any visible signs of disease, but are the likely natural reservoirs of SARS-like coronaviruses. Bats are likely to be

1302-499: The natural reservoir, that is, the host that harbored the pathogen but that does not show ill effects and serves as a source of infection. No direct progenitor of SARS-CoV was found in bat populations, but WIV16 was found in a cave in Xiyang Yi Ethnic Township , Yunnan, China between 2013 and 2016, and has a 96% genetically similar virus strain. The hypothesis that SARS-CoV-1 emerged through recombinations of bat SARSr-CoVs in

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1344-844: The outbreak of SARS in Asia and secondary cases elsewhere in the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a press release stating that the coronavirus identified by a number of laboratories was the official cause of SARS. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States and the National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Canada identified the SARS-CoV-1 genome in April 2003. Scientists at Erasmus University in Rotterdam ,

1386-453: The propagation of which started the COVID-19 pandemic . Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is the disease caused by SARS-CoV-1. It causes an often severe illness and is marked initially by systemic symptoms of muscle pain , headache , and fever , followed in 2–14 days by the onset of respiratory symptoms, mainly cough, dyspnea , and pneumonia . Another common finding in SARS patients

1428-605: The reach of genomics toward managing and eradicating disease. His research has uncovered new cancer mutations, candidate biomarkers and therapeutic targets, and has been instrumental in demonstrating the functional interplay between the cancer genome and epigenome. Since 2014, Dr. Marra has been listed in the yearly Highly Cited Researchers and World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds by Thomson Reuters and Clarivate Analytics. This list recognizes world-class researchers selected for their exceptional research performance, demonstrated by production of multiple highly cited papers that rank in

1470-451: The replication strategy typical of the coronavirus subfamily. The primary human receptor of the virus is angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and hemaglutinin (HE), first identified in 2003. Human SARS-CoV-1 appears to have had a complex history of recombination between ancestral coronaviruses that were hosted in several different animal groups. In order for recombination to happen at least two SARS-CoV-1 genomes must be present in

1512-447: The same area in late 2003 and early 2004 are different, indicating separate species-crossing events. The phylogeny of the outbreak strains shows that the southwestern provinces including Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi compare to the human SARS-CoV-1 better than those of the other provinces, but the viruses' evolution is a product of the host interaction and particularity. In late May 2003, studies from samples of wild animals sold as food in

1554-404: The same cell in nature. These phenomena are known respectively as antigenic drift and antigenic shift . Microbial strains can also be differentiated by their genetic makeup using metagenomic methods to maximize resolution within species. This has become a valuable tool to analyze the microbiome . Scientists have modified strains of viruses in order to study their behavior, as in the case of

1596-444: The same host cell. Recombination may occur during genome replication when the RNA polymerase switches from one template to another (copy choice recombination). SARS-CoV-1 is one of seven known coronaviruses to infect humans. The other six are: Strain (biology) It has been said that "there is no universally accepted definition for the terms 'strain', ' variant ', and 'isolate' in

1638-499: The sequencing effort. Led by Marra, the GSC was first in the world to sequence the SARS virus in 2003. Using this information they were the first to identify SARS as a coronavirus . This discovery, along with knowledge of the SARS genome, had significant implications for many infectious diseases and vaccine development. Sequencing techniques used for SARs were also applied to many fields of research and discovery, including cancer. In 2020,

1680-427: The term refers to the collective descendants produced from a common ancestor that share a uniform morphological or physiological character. A strain is a designated group of offspring that are either descended from a modified plant (produced by conventional breeding or by biotechnological means), or which result from genetic mutation. As an example, some rice strains are made by inserting new genetic material into

1722-490: The virology community, and most virologists simply copy the usage of terms from others". A strain is a genetic variant or subtype of a microorganism (e.g., a virus , bacterium or fungus ). For example, a "flu strain" is a certain biological form of the influenza or "flu" virus. These flu strains are characterized by their differing isoforms of surface proteins. New viral strains can be created due to mutation or swapping of genetic components when two or more viruses infect

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1764-743: Was instrumental in creating the first map the human genome, an international initiative that allowed the data to remain in the public domain. One of the largest collaborative scientific projects in history, the Human Genome Project begun in 1990 and completed in 2003. The massive and unprecedented scale of genomic data provided by the Human Genome Project has since revolutionized our understanding of disease biology ranging from cancer to cognitive impairment and continues to unfold new possibilities for integrating laboratory research and clinical practice to improve cancer control. The paper published in

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