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Bertzbach LD, You Y, Vychodil T, Kheimar A, Kossak L, Sabsabi MA, Conradie AM, Kaufer BB. Role of the multiple telomeric repeat arrays in integration, persistence, and efficacy of the commercial CVI988 vaccine. mSphere 2025; 10:e0014225. [PMID: 40338085 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00142-25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2025] [Accepted: 04/10/2025] [Indexed: 05/09/2025] Open
Abstract
Marek's disease virus (MDV) is a highly oncogenic alphaherpesvirus that causes fatal T cell lymphomas in chickens. Oncogenic MDV strains can integrate their genome into the host telomeres of latently infected and tumor cells. This integration process is facilitated by telomeric repeat arrays (TMR) present at the ends of the MDV genome, which consist of the hexanucleotide (TTAGGG)n that is identical to host telomere sequences. In addition, integration of the virus genome is crucial for the development of lymphomas. Live-attenuated vaccines play a vital role in protecting chickens against this deadly disease, yet our understanding of their biology remains limited. Intriguingly, the commercial gold standard MDV vaccine, the live-attenuated MDV strain CVI988, also possesses TMR at the ends of its genome. In this study, we investigated the role of the multiple TMR arrays (mTMR) in vaccine virus integration, latency, reactivation, and protection against very virulent MDV. Our data revealed that the mTMR present in CVI988 are important for virus genome integration and maintenance in latently infected cells in vitro. In addition, virus latency, reactivation, and vaccine efficacy were reduced in an mTMR deleted mutant compared to the wild-type vaccine. These results provide valuable insights into the biology of this important vaccine virus and shed light on the roles of the mTMR in vaccine integration, latency, and protection against very virulent MDV.IMPORTANCEMarek's disease virus (MDV) is an oncogenic herpesvirus and causes lethal lymphomas in chickens. The gold standard vaccine is the live-attenuated MDV strain CVI988 (a.k.a. Rispens). CVI988 is extensively used in chickens worldwide due to its high efficacy in preventing disease and lymphomas. The CVI988 vaccine harbors telomere arrays (TMR) at the ends of its genome. TMR facilitate genome integration of oncogenic MDV strains into the host telomeres. This study provides critical insights into the biology of the widely used MDV vaccine strain CVI988, demonstrating the crucial role of mTMR in viral genome integration, latency, and protection against very virulent MDV. Furthermore, our findings enhance the understanding of MDV vaccine biology and may guide future strategies to improve Marek's disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca D Bertzbach
- Institute of Virology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Research Unit Emerging Diseases, Leibniz Institute of Virology (LIV), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Yu You
- Institute of Virology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Tereza Vychodil
- Institute of Virology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ahmed Kheimar
- Institute of Virology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Poultry Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt
| | - Lisa Kossak
- Institute of Virology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | - Benedikt B Kaufer
- Institute of Virology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Veterinary Centre for Resistance Research (TZR), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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2
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Bao C, Chu J, Gao Q, Yang S, Gao X, Chen W, Yang F, Jiang F, Tong C, Lei M, Jiao L, Li J, Wei K, Lian X, Li K, Tikoo SK, Osterrieder N, Babiuk LA, Li Y, Jung YS, Qian Y. Marek's disease virus-1 unique gene LORF1 is involved in viral replication and MDV-1/Md5-induced atrophy of the bursa of Fabricius. PLoS Pathog 2025; 21:e1012891. [PMID: 39899476 PMCID: PMC11790089 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/07/2025] [Indexed: 02/05/2025] Open
Abstract
Marek's disease virus (MDV), an alphaherpesvirus, causes severe immunosuppression and T cell lymphomas in chickens, known as Marek's disease (MD), an economically important poultry disease primarily controlled by vaccination. Importantly, it also serves as a comparative model for studying herpesvirus-induced tumor formation in humans. MDV encodes more than 100 genes, most of which have unknown functions. MDV LORF1 is unique to serotype I MDV (MDV-1), lacking homologs in other herpesviruses, and has not been explored yet. To this end, an infectious bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) harboring the complete genome of the MDV-1 very virulent strain Md5 was generated, and the rescued rMd5 maintained biological properties similar to the parental virus both in vitro and in vivo. Subsequently, rMd5ΔLORF1, a recombinant Md5 virus deficient in pLORF1 expression, was generated by a frameshift mutation in the LORF1 gene. Chickens infected with rMd5ΔLORF1 exhibited a lower mortality rate and delayed bursal atrophy than those infected with the parental rMd5 and the revertant virus (rMd5-reLORF1). Consistently, viral loads of rMd5ΔLORF1 were obviously lower than those of rMd5 or rMd5-reLORF1 in the bursa, but not in the spleen. Importantly, we found that pLORF1 deficiency impairs viral replication in bursal B cells. Furthermore, we showed that pLORF1 associated with the cellular membrane, interacted with MDV structural proteins, and exhibited punctate colocalization with tegument or capsid proteins in the cytoplasm. Taken together, this study demonstrates for the first time that the MDV-1 unique gene LORF1 is involved in MDV-induced bursal atrophy but not in tumor formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenyi Bao
- The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Laboratory of Emerging Animal Diseases and One Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jun Chu
- The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Laboratory of Emerging Animal Diseases and One Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qi Gao
- The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Laboratory of Emerging Animal Diseases and One Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Shasha Yang
- The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Laboratory of Emerging Animal Diseases and One Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiaoyu Gao
- The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Laboratory of Emerging Animal Diseases and One Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Wenwen Chen
- The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Laboratory of Emerging Animal Diseases and One Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Fuchun Yang
- The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Laboratory of Emerging Animal Diseases and One Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Fei Jiang
- The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Laboratory of Emerging Animal Diseases and One Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Chenxi Tong
- The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Laboratory of Emerging Animal Diseases and One Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Mingyi Lei
- The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Laboratory of Emerging Animal Diseases and One Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High-Tech Research and Development of Veterinary Biopharmaceuticals, Jiangsu Agri-Animal Husbandry Vocational College, Veterinary Bio-Pharmaceutical, Taizhou, China
| | - Linlin Jiao
- The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Laboratory of Emerging Animal Diseases and One Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High-Tech Research and Development of Veterinary Biopharmaceuticals, Jiangsu Agri-Animal Husbandry Vocational College, Veterinary Bio-Pharmaceutical, Taizhou, China
| | - Jitong Li
- Institute of Poultry Science, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Poultry Diseases Diagnosis and Immunology, Jinan, China
| | - Kexin Wei
- Institute of Poultry Science, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Poultry Diseases Diagnosis and Immunology, Jinan, China
| | - Xue Lian
- School of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Jurong, China
| | - Kai Li
- Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu, China
| | - Suresh Kumar Tikoo
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Center (VIDO-InterVac), University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Nikolaus Osterrieder
- Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany
- Institut für Virologie, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lorne A. Babiuk
- Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Yufeng Li
- Institute of Poultry Science, Shandong Academy of Agricultural Sciences/Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Poultry Diseases Diagnosis and Immunology, Jinan, China
| | - Yong-Sam Jung
- The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Laboratory of Emerging Animal Diseases and One Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yingjuan Qian
- The Sanya Institute of Nanjing Agricultural University, Laboratory of Emerging Animal Diseases and One Health, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Animal Health and Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for High-Tech Research and Development of Veterinary Biopharmaceuticals, Jiangsu Agri-Animal Husbandry Vocational College, Veterinary Bio-Pharmaceutical, Taizhou, China
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Kim T, Hearn CJ, Mays J, Velez-Irizarry D, Reddy SM, Spatz SJ, Cheng HH, Dunn JR. Phenotypic Characterization of Recombinant Marek's Disease Virus in Live Birds Validates Polymorphisms Associated with Virulence. Viruses 2023; 15:2263. [PMID: 38005939 PMCID: PMC10674313 DOI: 10.3390/v15112263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Marek's disease (MD) is a highly infectious lymphoproliferative disease in chickens with a significant economic impact. Mardivirus gallidalpha 2, also known as Marek's disease virus (MDV), is the causative pathogen and has been categorized based on its virulence rank into four pathotypes: mild (m), virulent (v), very virulent (vv), and very virulent plus (vv+). A prior comparative genomics study suggested that several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and genes in the MDV genome are associated with virulence, including nonsynonymous (ns) SNPs in eight open reading frames (ORF): UL22, UL36, UL37, UL41, UL43, R-LORF8, R-LORF7, and ICP4. To validate the contribution of these nsSNPs to virulence, the vv+MDV strain 686 genome was modified by replacing nucleotides with those observed in the vMDV strains. Pathogenicity studies indicated that these substitutions reduced the MD incidence and increased the survival of challenged birds. Furthermore, using the best-fit pathotyping method to rank the virulence, the modified vv+MDV 686 viruses resulted in a pathotype similar to the vvMDV Md5 strain. Thus, these results support our hypothesis that SNPs in one or more of these ORFs are associated with virulence but, as a group, are not sufficient to result in a vMDV pathotype, suggesting that there are additional variants in the MDV genome associated with virulence, which is not surprising given this complex phenotype and our previous finding of additional variants and SNPs associated with virulence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taejoong Kim
- Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 934 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30605, USA; (S.J.S.); (J.R.D.)
| | - Cari J. Hearn
- Avian Diseases and Oncology Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 4279 E. Mount Hope Road, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA; (C.J.H.); (J.M.); (D.V.-I.); (H.H.C.)
| | - Jody Mays
- Avian Diseases and Oncology Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 4279 E. Mount Hope Road, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA; (C.J.H.); (J.M.); (D.V.-I.); (H.H.C.)
| | - Deborah Velez-Irizarry
- Avian Diseases and Oncology Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 4279 E. Mount Hope Road, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA; (C.J.H.); (J.M.); (D.V.-I.); (H.H.C.)
| | - Sanjay M. Reddy
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA;
| | - Stephen J. Spatz
- Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 934 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30605, USA; (S.J.S.); (J.R.D.)
| | - Hans H. Cheng
- Avian Diseases and Oncology Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 4279 E. Mount Hope Road, East Lansing, MI 48823, USA; (C.J.H.); (J.M.); (D.V.-I.); (H.H.C.)
| | - John R. Dunn
- Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 934 College Station Road, Athens, GA 30605, USA; (S.J.S.); (J.R.D.)
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4
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Liao Y, Bajwa K, Al-Mahmood M, Gimeno IM, Reddy SM, Lupiani B. The role of Meq-vIL8 in regulating Marek's disease virus pathogenesis. J Gen Virol 2021; 102. [PMID: 33236979 DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Marek's disease virus (MDV) is a highly cell-associated oncogenic alphaherpesvirus that causes T cell lymphoma in chickens. MDV-encoded Meq and vIL8 proteins play important roles in transformation and early cytolytic infection, respectively. Previous studies identified a spliced transcript, meq-vIL8, formed by alternative splicing of meq and vIL8 genes in MDV lymphoblastoid tumour cells. To determine the role of Meq-vIL8 in MDV pathogenesis, we generated a recombinant MDV (MDV-meqΔSD) by mutating the splice donor site in the meq gene to abrogate the expression of Meq-vIL8. As expected, our results show that MDV-meqΔSD virus grows similarly to the parental and revertant viruses in cell culture, suggesting that Meq-vIL8 is dispensable for MDV growth in vitro. We further characterized the pathogenic properties of MDV-meqΔSD virus in chickens. Our results show that lack of Meq-vIL8 did not affect virus replication during the early cytolytic phase, as determined by immunohistochemistry analysis and/or viral genome copy number, but significantly enhanced viral DNA load in the late phase of infection in the spleen and brain of infected chickens. In addition, we observed that abrogation of Meq-vIL8 expression reduced the mean death time and increased the prevalence of persistent neurological disease, common features of highly virulent strains of MDV, in inoculated chickens. In conclusion, our study shows that Meq-vIL8 is an important virulence factor of MDV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Liao
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Kanika Bajwa
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Mohammad Al-Mahmood
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Isabel M Gimeno
- North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607, USA
| | - Sanjay M Reddy
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Blanca Lupiani
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
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5
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Methods for the Manipulation of Herpesvirus Genome and the Application to Marek's Disease Virus Research. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9061260. [PMID: 34200544 PMCID: PMC8228275 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9061260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 05/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Herpesviruses are a group of double-strand DNA viruses that infect a wide range of hosts, including humans and animals. In the past decades, numerous methods have been developed to manipulate herpesviruses genomes, from the introduction of random mutations to specific genome editing. The development of genome manipulation methods has largely advanced the study of viral genes function, contributing not only to the understanding of herpesvirus biology and pathogenesis, but also the generation of novel vaccines and therapies to control and treat diseases. In this review, we summarize the major methods of herpesvirus genome manipulation with emphasis in their application to Marek’s disease virus research.
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Liao Y, Lupiani B, Reddy SM. Manipulation of Promyelocytic Leukemia Protein Nuclear Bodies by Marek's Disease Virus Encoded US3 Protein Kinase. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9040685. [PMID: 33810320 PMCID: PMC8066686 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9040685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Promyelocytic leukemia protein nuclear bodies (PML-NBs) are dynamic nuclear structures, shown to be important for herpesvirus replication; however, their role in regulating Marek’s disease virus (MDV) infection has not been studied. MDV is an oncogenic alphaherpesvirus that causes lymphoproliferative disease in chickens. MDV encodes a US3 serine/threonine protein kinase that is important for MDV replication and gene expression. In this study, we studied the role of MDV US3 in regulating PML-NBs. Using an immunofluorescence assay, we found that MDV US3 disrupts PML and SP100 in a kinase dependent manner. In addition, treatment with MG-132 (a proteasome inhibitor) could partially restore the levels of PML and SP100, suggesting that a cellular proteasome dependent degradation pathway is involved in MDV US3 induced disruption of PML and SP100. These findings provide the first evidence for the interplay between MDV proteins and PML-NBs.
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7
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Liao Y, Lupiani B, AI-Mahmood M, Reddy SM. Marek's disease virus US3 protein kinase phosphorylates chicken HDAC 1 and 2 and regulates viral replication and pathogenesis. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009307. [PMID: 33596269 PMCID: PMC7920345 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is a potent oncogenic alphaherpesvirus that elicits a rapid onset of malignant T-cell lymphomas in chickens. Three MDV types, including GaHV-2 (MDV-1), GaHV-3 (MDV-2) and MeHV-1 (HVT), have been identified and all encode a US3 protein kinase. MDV-1 US3 is important for efficient virus growth in vitro. To study the role of US3 in MDV replication and pathogenicity, we generated an MDV-1 US3-null virus and chimeric viruses by replacing MDV-1 US3 with MDV-2 or HVT US3. Using MD as a natural virus-host model, we showed that both MDV-2 and HVT US3 partially rescued the growth deficiency of MDV-1 US3-null virus. In addition, deletion of MDV-1 US3 attenuated the virus resulting in higher survival rate and lower MDV specific tumor incidence, which could be partially compensated by MDV-2 and HVT US3. We also identified chicken histone deacetylase 1 (chHDAC1) as a common US3 substrate for all three MDV types while only US3 of MDV-1 and MDV-2 phosphorylate chHDAC2. We further determined that US3 of MDV-1 and HVT phosphorylate chHDAC1 at serine 406 (S406), while MDV-2 US3 phosphorylates S406, S410, and S415. In addition, MDV-1 US3 phosphorylates chHDAC2 at S407, while MDV-2 US3 targets S407 and S411. Furthermore, biochemical studies show that MDV US3 mediated phosphorylation of chHDAC1 and 2 affect their stability, transcriptional regulation activity, and interaction network. Using a class I HDAC specific inhibitor, we showed that MDV US3 mediated phosphorylation of chHDAC1 and 2 is involved in regulation of virus replication. Overall, we identified novel substrates for MDV US3 and characterized the role of MDV US3 in MDV pathogenesis. Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is a highly contagious and oncogenic avian alphaherpesvirus that causes T-cell lymphomas in chickens. Alphaherpesviruses encoded US3 is a multifunctional protein kinase involved in viral replication, apoptosis resistance, and cell-to-cell spread. In this study, we evaluated the importance of MDV US3 in regulating MDV replication and pathogenesis in chickens. Our results provide first evidence that MDV US3 protein kinase is involved in the replication and pathogenicity of MDV in its natural host. We also identified chicken histone deacetylase 1 and 2 (chHDAC1 and 2) as novel substrates of US3 for MDV and characterized the potential impacts of MDV US3 induced phosphorylation in their protein stability, transcriptional regulation and protein interactions; to our knowledge, this is the first comparative study of the functions of US3 from all three MDV types. This is an important finding towards a better understanding of the functions of alphaherpesviruses encoded US3 protein kinase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Liao
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Blanca Lupiani
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Mohammad AI-Mahmood
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Sanjay M. Reddy
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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8
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A Novel Effective and Safe Vaccine for Prevention of Marek's Disease Caused by Infection with a Very Virulent Plus (vv+) Marek's Disease Virus. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9020159. [PMID: 33669421 PMCID: PMC7920416 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9020159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is a highly contagious alphaherpesvirus that causes rapid onset lymphoma in chickens. Marek’s disease (MD) is effectively controlled using vaccination; however, MDV continues to break through vaccinal immunity, due to the emergence of highly virulent field strains. Earlier studies revealed that deletion of the meq gene from MDV resulted in an attenuated virus that protects against MD in chickens challenged with highly virulent field strains. However, the meq deleted virus retains the ability to induce significant lymphoid organ atrophy. In a different study, we found that the deletion of the vIL8 gene resulted in the loss of lymphoid organ atrophy in inoculated chickens. Here, we describe the generation of a recombinant MDV from which both meq and vIL8 genes were deleted. In vitro studies revealed that the meq and vIL8 double deletion virus replicated at levels similar to the parental very virulent plus (vv+) virus. In addition, in vivo studies showed that the double deletion mutant virus (686BAC-ΔMeqΔvIL8) conferred protection comparable to CVI988, a commercial vaccine strain, when challenged with a vv+ MDV virus, and significantly reduced lymphoid organ atrophy, when compared to meq null virus, in chickens. In conclusion, our study describes the development of a safe and effective vaccine candidate for prevention of MD in chickens.
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9
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Sun A, Yang S, Luo J, Teng M, Xu Y, Wang R, Zhu X, Zheng L, Wu Y, Yao Y, Nair V, Zhang G, Zhuang G. UL28 and UL33 homologs of Marek's disease virus terminase complex involved in the regulation of cleavage and packaging of viral DNA are indispensable for replication in cultured cells. Vet Res 2021; 52:20. [PMID: 33579382 PMCID: PMC7881644 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-021-00901-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Processing and packaging of herpesvirus genomic DNA is regulated by a packaging-associated terminase complex comprising of viral proteins pUL15, pUL28 and pUL33. Marek’s disease virus (MDV) homologs UL28 and UL33 showed conserved functional features with high sequence identity with the corresponding Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) homologs. As part of the investigations into the role of the UL28 and UL33 homologs of oncogenic MDV for DNA packaging and replication in cultured cells, we generated MDV mutant clones deficient in UL28 or UL33 of full-length MDV genomes. Transfection of UL28- or UL33-deleted BAC DNA into chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) did not result either in the production of visible virus plaques, or detectable single cell infection after passaging onto fresh CEF cells. However, typical MDV plaques were detectable in CEF transfected with the DNA of revertant mutants where the deleted genes were precisely reinserted. Moreover, the replication defect of the UL28-deficient mutant was completely restored when fragment encoding the full UL28 gene was co-transfected into CEF cells. Viruses recovered from the revertant construct, as well as by the UL28 co-transfection, showed replication ability comparable with parental virus. Furthermore, the transmission electron microscopy study indicated that immature capsids were assembled without the UL28 expression, but with the loss of infectivity. Importantly, predicted three-dimensional structures of UL28 between MDV and HSV-1 suggests conserved function in virus replication. For the first time, these results revealed that both UL28 and UL33 are essential for MDV replication through regulating DNA cleavage and packaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aijun Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuaikang Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Jun Luo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.,UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research On Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Man Teng
- Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.,UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research On Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Yijie Xu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, China
| | - Rui Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaojing Zhu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Luping Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.,UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research On Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Yanan Wu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, People's Republic of China
| | - Yongxiu Yao
- UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research On Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.,The Pirbright Institute & UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research On Avian Diseases, Pirbright, Ash Road, Guildford, GU24 0NF, Surrey, UK
| | - Venugopal Nair
- UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research On Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.,The Pirbright Institute & UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research On Avian Diseases, Pirbright, Ash Road, Guildford, GU24 0NF, Surrey, UK
| | - Gaiping Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, China.,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, People's Republic of China.,Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs & Henan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Immunology, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China.,UK-China Centre of Excellence for Research On Avian Diseases, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, 450002, China
| | - Guoqing Zhuang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, China. .,International Joint Research Center of National Animal Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, Henan, People's Republic of China.
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10
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Liao Y, Lupiani B, Izumiya Y, Reddy SM. Marek's disease virus Meq oncoprotein interacts with chicken HDAC 1 and 2 and mediates their degradation via proteasome dependent pathway. Sci Rep 2021; 11:637. [PMID: 33437016 PMCID: PMC7803728 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80792-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Marek's disease virus (MDV) encodes a basic-leucine zipper (BZIP) protein, Meq, which is considered the major MDV oncoprotein. It has been reported that the oncogenicity of Meq is associated with its interaction with C-terminal binding protein 1 (CtBP), which is also an interaction partner of Epstein-Barr virus encoded EBNA3A and EBNA3C oncoproteins. Since both EBNA3C and CtBP interact with histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1) and HDAC2, we examined whether Meq shares this interaction with chicken HDAC1 (chHDAC1) and chHDAC2. Using confocal microscopy analysis, we show that Meq co-localizes with chHDAC1 and chHDAC2 in the nuclei of MDV lymphoblastoid tumor cells. In addition, immunoprecipitation assays demonstrate that Meq interacts with chHDAC1 and chHDAC2 in transfected cells and MDV lymphoblastoid tumor cells. Using deletion mutants, interaction domains were mapped to the N-terminal dimerization domain of chHDAC1 and chHDAC2, and the BZIP domain of Meq. Our results further demonstrate that this interaction mediates the degradation of chHDAC1 and chHDAC2 via the proteasome dependent pathway. In addition, our results show that Meq also induces the reduction of global ubiquitinated proteins through a proteasome dependent pathway. In conclusion, our results provide evidence that Meq interacts with chHDAC1 and chHDAC2, and induces their proteasome dependent degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Liao
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, MS4467, TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Blanca Lupiani
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, MS4467, TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Yoshihiro Izumiya
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA
| | - Sanjay M Reddy
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, MS4467, TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
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11
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Liao Y, Zhuang G, Sun A, Khan OA, Lupiani B, Reddy SM. Marek's Disease Virus Cluster 3 miRNAs Restrict Virus' Early Cytolytic Replication and Pathogenesis. Viruses 2020; 12:v12111317. [PMID: 33212952 PMCID: PMC7698348 DOI: 10.3390/v12111317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Herpesvirus-encoded microRNAs (miRNAs) have been discovered in infected cells; however, lack of a suitable animal model has hampered functional analyses of viral miRNAs in vivo. Marek’s disease virus (MDV) (Gallid alphaherpesvirus 2, GaHV-2) genome contains 14 miRNA precursors, which encode 26 mature miRNAs, grouped into three clusters. In this study, the role of MDV-encoded cluster 3 miRNAs, also known as mdv1-miR-M8-M10, in pathogenesis was evaluated in chickens, the natural host of MDV. Our results show that deletion of cluster 3 miRNAs did not affect virus replication and plaque size in cell culture, but increased early cytolytic replication of MDV in chickens. We also observed that deletion of cluster 3 miRNAs resulted in significantly higher virus reactivation from peripheral blood lymphocytes. In addition, pathogenesis studies showed that deletion of cluster 3 miRNAs resulted in more severe atrophy of lymphoid organs and reduced mean death time, but did not affect the incidence of MDV-associated visceral tumors. We confirmed these results by generating a cluster 3 miRNA revertant virus in which the parental MDV phenotype was restored. To the best of our knowledge, our study provides the first evidence that MDV cluster 3 miRNAs play an important role in modulating MDV pathogenesis.
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12
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Liao Y, Sun A, Zhuang G, Lupiani B, Reddy SM. Deletion of LORF9 but not LORF10 attenuates Marek's disease virus pathogenesis. Vet Microbiol 2020; 251:108911. [PMID: 33212362 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2020.108911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Marek's disease virus (MDV) genome contains a number of uncharacterized long open reading frames (LORF) and their role in viral pathogenesis has not been fully investigated. Among them, LORF9 (MDV069) and LORF10 (MDV071) are locate at the right terminus of the MDV genome unique long region (UL). To investigate their role in MDV pathogenesis, we generated LORF9 or LORF10 deletion and revertant viruses. In vitro growth kinetics results show that both LORF9 and LORF10 are not essential for virus growth in cell culture. However, LORF9, but not LORF10, is involved in MDV early cytolytic replication in vivo, as evidenced by limited viral antigen expression in lymphoid organs of LORF9 deletion virus inoculated chickens. MDV genome copy number data further confirmed that LORF9 is important for MDV replication in spleen during early cytolytic phase. Deletion of LORF9 also partially impairs the replication of MDV in feather follicle epithelium (FFE); however, it can still establish latency and transformation. In addition, pathogenesis studies show that deletion of LORF9, but not LORF10, result in significant reduction of MDV induced mortality and slightly reduce MDV associated tumors of inoculated chickens. Importantly, we confirmed these results with the generation of LORF9 and LORF10 revertant viruses that fully restore the phenotypes of parental MDV. In conclusion, our results show that deletion of LORF9, but not LORF10, significantly impair viral replication in lymphoid organs during early cytolytic phase and attenuate Marek's disease virus pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Liao
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Aijun Sun
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Guoqing Zhuang
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Blanca Lupiani
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Sanjay M Reddy
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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13
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Gimeno IM, Cortes AL, Reddy SM, López de Juan Abad B, Käser T, Limsatanun A. Highly virulent Marek's disease virus strains affect T lymphocyte function and viability of splenocytes in commercial meat-type chickens. Avian Pathol 2019; 48:564-572. [PMID: 31294636 DOI: 10.1080/03079457.2019.1643451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In previous studies, we have demonstrated that very virulent plus Marek's disease viruses (vv+MDV) are highly immunosuppressive in commercial meat-type chickens. The specific objectives of this work were to evaluate if vv+MDV immunosuppression (MDV-IS) is induced by reduction of lymphocyte responsiveness and/or viability. Three experiments were conducted to (i) compare vv+MDV 686 with a partially attenuated 686-BAC; (ii) compare vv+MDV strains (648A and 686) with vMDV (GA) and vvMDV (Md5); and (iii) compare chickens vaccinated with Md5-BACΔMEQ and with CVI988 + HVT. In each experiment, spleens were collected at 28-30 days post infection and lymphocytes were isolated and investigated in three ways: their proliferative response to Concanavalin A (ConA) was analysed by MTT proliferation assay; cell death, and expression of CD45 and MHC-I was studied by flow cytometry; and MHC-IA and β-2 microglobulin (B2M) expression was evaluated by real time RT-PCR. Splenocytes of chickens inoculated with vv+MDV were severely impaired to proliferate when exposed to ConA. Furthermore, vv+MDV induced severe splenocyte death that did not occur after infection with v or vvMDV strains. Vaccination with CVI988 + HVT, and at less level with Md5-BACΔMEQ reduced these negative effects. This is in contrast to our previous results in which Md5-BACΔMEQ but not CVI988 + HVT protected against MDV-IS suggesting that although cell death and decrease lymphocyte function seem to be related to MDV virulence and certainly will be associated with immunosuppression, they might not fully explain the previously reported MDV-IS. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS vv+MDV induces extensive death in splenocytes in meat-type chickens 28-30 dpi. vv+MDV impairs lymphocyte function in meat-type chickens 28-30 dpi. Vaccination protects against splenocyte death and reduced lymphocyte function. Cell lysis and reduced lymphocyte function do not fully explain MDV-IS.
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Affiliation(s)
- I M Gimeno
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, Veterinary School, North Carolina State University , Raleigh , NC , USA
| | - A L Cortes
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, Veterinary School, North Carolina State University , Raleigh , NC , USA
| | - S M Reddy
- College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University , College Station , TX , USA
| | - B López de Juan Abad
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, Veterinary School, North Carolina State University , Raleigh , NC , USA
| | - T Käser
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, Veterinary School, North Carolina State University , Raleigh , NC , USA
| | - A Limsatanun
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, Veterinary School, North Carolina State University , Raleigh , NC , USA.,Faculty of Veterinary Science, Prince of Songkla University , Hat Yai, Kho Hong, Songhkla , Thailand
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14
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Faiz NM, Cortes AL, Guy JS, Reddy SM, Gimeno IM. Differential attenuation of Marek’s disease virus-induced tumours and late-Marek’s disease virus-induced immunosuppression. J Gen Virol 2018; 99:927-936. [DOI: 10.1099/jgv.0.001076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nik M. Faiz
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, Veterinary School, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
- Department of Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Aneg L. Cortes
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, Veterinary School, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
| | - James S. Guy
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, Veterinary School, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
| | - Sanjay M. Reddy
- College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Isabel M. Gimeno
- Department of Population Health and Pathobiology, Veterinary School, North Carolina State University, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
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15
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Dunn JR, Reddy SM, Niikura M, Nair V, Fulton JE, Cheng HH. Evaluation and Identification of Marek's Disease Virus BAC Clones as Standardized Reagents for Research. Avian Dis 2017; 61:107-114. [DOI: 10.1637/0005-2086-61.1.107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John R. Dunn
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory, East Lansing, MI 48823
| | - Sanjay M. Reddy
- College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843
| | | | - Venugopal Nair
- Pirbright Institute, Pirbright, Surrey, GU24 0NF, United Kingdom
| | | | - Hans H. Cheng
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. National Poultry Research Center, Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory, East Lansing, MI 48823
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