BDV uses a remarkably broad range of mechanisms to direct expression of its 8.9-kb genome. Although much remains to be elucidated, it is clear that BDV genome expression is modulated by the use of multiple strategies, including differential gene transcription, post-transcriptional modification, and translational efficiency. Further insights into the details of this multilevel system will be essential to understanding BDV biology, pathogenesis, and neurotropism.

Borna disease virus (BDV) is a nonsegmented, negative-strand RNA virus related to rhabdoviruses and paramyxoviruses. Unlike animal viruses of these two families, BDV transcribes RNAs in the nuclei of infected cells and produces high levels of transcripts containing multiple open reading frames. Previous Northern blot analysis of RNA from BDV-infected rat brain tissue has shown that two viral transcripts, a 6.1-kb RNA and a 1.5-kb RNA, lack regions that are internal to two otherwise identical transcripts, the 7.1-kb RNA and the 2.8-kb RNA, respectively (T.

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