Genome Annotation and Comparative Genomics of ORF Virus

ORF virus (ORFV), the etiological agent of contagious pustular dermatitis in small ruminants, be-longs to members of the genus Parapoxvirus of the Poxviridae. The genome of the ORFV is dsDNA of 139,962 bp which has about 89 % coding region, 63 % GC content and codes 130 proteins. There are four unique genes within the genome revealed by homology search of them two posses ’ strong regulatory region and transmembrane helices. One of the ORF-039 contains signal peptide indi-cating the possibilities to be secretory protein coding gene. Comparative genomic analysis reveals significant differences in Bovine Papular Stomatitis Virus (BPSV) strain BV-AR02 and ORFV strain OV-SA00, and these may account for differences in host range. Interspecies sequence variability is observed in all functional classes of genes but is the highest in putative virulence/host range genes. Notably, ORFV contains genes which are homologous of Vaccinia virus. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that although divergent, ORFV virus is distinct from other known mammalian cowpox vi-rus. An improved understanding of Parapoxvirus (PPV) biology will permit the engineering of novel vaccine viruses and expression vectors with enhanced efficacy and greater versatility. The novel vaccine will have a significant role in the economy of a country through the control of dis