1
|
Vu HLX, McVey DS. Recent progress on gene-deleted live-attenuated African swine fever virus vaccines. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:60. [PMID: 38480758 PMCID: PMC10937926 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00845-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly lethal viral disease in swine, with mortality rates approaching 100%. The disease has spread to many swine-producing countries, leading to significant economic losses and adversely impacting global food security. Extensive efforts have been directed toward developing effective ASF vaccines. Among the vaccinology approaches tested to date, live-attenuated virus (LAV) vaccines produced by rational deleting virulence genes from virulent African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) strains have demonstrated promising safety and efficacy in experimental and field conditions. Many gene-deleted LAV vaccine candidates have been generated in recent years. The virulence genes targeted for deletion from the genome of virulent ASFV strains can be categorized into four groups: Genes implicated in viral genome replication and transcription, genes from the multigene family located at both 5' and 3' termini, genes participating in mediating hemadsorption and putative cellular attachment factors, and novel genes with no known functions. Some promising LAV vaccine candidates are generated by deleting a single viral virulence gene, whereas others are generated by simultaneously deleting multiple genes. This article summarizes the recent progress in developing and characterizing gene-deleted LAV vaccine candidates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hiep L X Vu
- Department of Animal Science, and Nebraska Center for Virology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - D Scott McVey
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Yang J, Zhu R, Zhang Y, Zhou X, Yue H, Li Q, Ke J, Wang Y, Miao F, Chen T, Zhang F, Zhang S, Qian A, Hu R. Deleting the C84L Gene from the Virulent African Swine Fever Virus SY18 Does Not Affect Its Replication in Porcine Primary Macrophages but Reduces Its Virulence in Swine. Pathogens 2024; 13:103. [PMID: 38392841 PMCID: PMC10891671 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13020103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious disease that causes high pig mortality. Due to the absence of vaccines, prevention and control are relatively challenging. The pathogenic African swine fever virus (ASFV) has a complex structure and encodes over 160 proteins, many of which still need to be studied and verified for their functions. In this study, we identified one of the unknown functional genes, C84L. (2) Methods: A gene deficient strain was obtained through homologous recombination and several rounds of purification, and its replication characteristics and virulence were studied through in vitro and in vivo experiments, respectively. (3) Results: Deleting this gene from the wild-type virulent strain SY18 did not affect its replication in porcine primary macrophages but reduced its virulence in pigs. In animal experiments, we injected pigs with a 102 TCID50, 105 TCID50 deletion virus, and a 102 TCID50 wild-type strain SY18 intramuscularly. The control group pigs reached the humane endpoint on the ninth day (0/5) and were euthanized. Two pigs in the 102 TCID50(2/5) deletion virus group survived on the twenty-first day, and one in the 105 TCID50(1/5) deletion virus group survived. On the twenty-first day, the surviving pigs were euthanized, which was the end of the experiment. The necropsies of the survival group and control groups' necropsies showed that the surviving pigs' liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, and submaxillary lymph nodes did not show significant lesions associated with the ASFV. ASFV-specific antibodies were first detected on the seventh day after immunization; (4) Conclusions: This is the first study to complete the replication and virulence functional exploration of the C84L gene of SY18. In this study, C84L gene was preliminarily found not a necessary gene for replication, gene deletion strain SY18ΔC84L has similar growth characteristics to SY18 in porcine primary alveolar macrophages. The C84L gene affects the virulence of the SY18 strain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jinjin Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention & Control for African Swine Fever and Other Major Pig Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changchun 130000, China
| | - Rongnian Zhu
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention & Control for African Swine Fever and Other Major Pig Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changchun 130000, China
| | - Yanyan Zhang
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention & Control for African Swine Fever and Other Major Pig Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changchun 130000, China
| | - Xintao Zhou
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention & Control for African Swine Fever and Other Major Pig Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changchun 130000, China
| | - Huixian Yue
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention & Control for African Swine Fever and Other Major Pig Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changchun 130000, China
| | - Qixuan Li
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention & Control for African Swine Fever and Other Major Pig Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changchun 130000, China
| | - Junnan Ke
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Yu Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Faming Miao
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention & Control for African Swine Fever and Other Major Pig Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changchun 130000, China
| | - Teng Chen
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention & Control for African Swine Fever and Other Major Pig Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changchun 130000, China
| | - Fei Zhang
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention & Control for African Swine Fever and Other Major Pig Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changchun 130000, China
| | - Shoufeng Zhang
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention & Control for African Swine Fever and Other Major Pig Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changchun 130000, China
| | - Aidong Qian
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
| | - Rongliang Hu
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun 130122, China
- Key Laboratory of Prevention & Control for African Swine Fever and Other Major Pig Diseases, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Changchun 130000, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Ramirez-Medina E, Velazquez-Salinas L, Rai A, Espinoza N, Valladares A, Silva E, Burton L, Spinard E, Meyers A, Risatti G, Calvelage S, Blome S, Gladue DP, Borca MV. Evaluation of the Deletion of the African Swine Fever Virus Gene O174L from the Genome of the Georgia Isolate. Viruses 2023; 15:2134. [PMID: 37896911 PMCID: PMC10612027 DOI: 10.3390/v15102134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 10/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a structurally complex, double-stranded DNA virus, which causes African swine fever (ASF), a contagious disease affecting swine. ASF is currently affecting pork production in a large geographical region, including Eurasia and the Caribbean. ASFV has a large genome, which harbors more than 160 genes, but most of these genes' functions have not been experimentally characterized. One of these genes is the O174L gene which has been experimentally shown to function as a small DNA polymerase. Here, we demonstrate that the deletion of the O174L gene from the genome of the virulent strain ASFV Georgia2010 (ASFV-G) does not significantly affect virus replication in vitro or in vivo. A recombinant virus, having deleted the O174L gene, ASFV-G-∆O174L, was developed to study the effect of the O174L protein in replication in swine macrophages cultures in vitro and disease production when inoculated in pigs. The results demonstrated that ASFV-G-∆O174L has similar replication kinetics to parental ASFV-G in swine macrophage cultures. In addition, animals intramuscularly inoculated with 102 HAD50 of ASFV-G-∆O174L presented a clinical form of the disease that is indistinguishable from that induced by the parental virulent strain ASFV-G. All animals developed a lethal disease, being euthanized around day 7 post-infection. Therefore, although O174L is a well-characterized DNA polymerase, its function is apparently not critical for the process of virus replication, both in vitro and in vivo, or for disease production in domestic pigs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Ramirez-Medina
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, NY 11944, USA; (E.R.-M.); (L.V.-S.); (A.R.); (N.E.); (A.V.); (E.S.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Lauro Velazquez-Salinas
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, NY 11944, USA; (E.R.-M.); (L.V.-S.); (A.R.); (N.E.); (A.V.); (E.S.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Ayushi Rai
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, NY 11944, USA; (E.R.-M.); (L.V.-S.); (A.R.); (N.E.); (A.V.); (E.S.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (A.M.)
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - Nallely Espinoza
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, NY 11944, USA; (E.R.-M.); (L.V.-S.); (A.R.); (N.E.); (A.V.); (E.S.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Alyssa Valladares
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, NY 11944, USA; (E.R.-M.); (L.V.-S.); (A.R.); (N.E.); (A.V.); (E.S.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (A.M.)
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - Ediane Silva
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, NY 11944, USA; (E.R.-M.); (L.V.-S.); (A.R.); (N.E.); (A.V.); (E.S.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Leeanna Burton
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, NY 11944, USA; (E.R.-M.); (L.V.-S.); (A.R.); (N.E.); (A.V.); (E.S.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Edward Spinard
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, NY 11944, USA; (E.R.-M.); (L.V.-S.); (A.R.); (N.E.); (A.V.); (E.S.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Amanda Meyers
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, NY 11944, USA; (E.R.-M.); (L.V.-S.); (A.R.); (N.E.); (A.V.); (E.S.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (A.M.)
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - Guillermo Risatti
- Department of Pathobiology and Veterinary Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA;
| | - Sten Calvelage
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (S.C.); (S.B.)
| | - Sandra Blome
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (S.C.); (S.B.)
| | - Douglas P. Gladue
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, NY 11944, USA; (E.R.-M.); (L.V.-S.); (A.R.); (N.E.); (A.V.); (E.S.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (A.M.)
| | - Manuel V. Borca
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, NY 11944, USA; (E.R.-M.); (L.V.-S.); (A.R.); (N.E.); (A.V.); (E.S.); (L.B.); (E.S.); (A.M.)
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Gladue DP, Gomez-Lucas L, Largo E, Velazquez-Salinas L, Ramirez-Medina E, Torralba J, Queralt M, Alcaraz A, Nieva JL, Borca MV. African Swine Fever Virus Gene B117L Encodes a Small Protein Endowed with Low-pH-Dependent Membrane Permeabilizing Activity. J Virol 2023; 97:e0035023. [PMID: 37212688 PMCID: PMC10308923 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00350-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023] Open
Abstract
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is causing a devastating pandemic in domestic and wild swine in Central Europe to East Asia, resulting in economic losses for the swine industry. The virus contains a large double-stranded DNA genome that contains more than 150 genes, most with no experimentally characterized function. In this study, we evaluate the potential function of the product of ASFV gene B117L, a 115-amino-acid integral membrane protein transcribed at late times during the virus replication cycle and showing no homology to any previously published protein. Hydrophobicity distribution along B117L confirmed the presence of a single transmembrane helix, which, in combination with flanking amphipathic sequences, composes a potential membrane-associated C-terminal domain of ca. 50 amino acids. Ectopic transient cell expression of the B117L gene as a green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion protein revealed the colocalization with markers of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Intracellular localization of various B117L constructs also displayed a pattern for the formation of organized smooth ER (OSER) structures compatible with the presence of a single transmembrane helix with a cytoplasmic carboxy terminus. Using partially overlapping peptides, we further demonstrated that the B117L transmembrane helix has the capacity to establish spores and ion channels in membranes at low pH. Furthermore, our evolutionary analysis showed the high conservation of the transmembrane domain during the evolution of the B117L gene, indicating that the integrity of this domain is preserved by the action of the purifying selection. Collectively our data support a viroporin-like assistant role for the B117L gene-encoded product in ASFV entry. IMPORTANCE ASFV is responsible for an extensively distributed pandemic causing important economic losses in the pork industry in Eurasia. The development of countermeasures is partially limited by the insufficient knowledge regarding the function of the majority of the more than 150 genes present on the virus genome. Here, we provide data regarding the functional experimental evaluation of a previously uncharacterized ASFV gene, B117L. Our data suggest that the B117L gene encodes a small membrane protein that assists in the permeabilization of the ER-derived envelope during ASFV infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Douglas P. Gladue
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, New York, USA
| | - Lidia Gomez-Lucas
- Instituto Biofisika (CSIC-UPV/EHU) and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Eneko Largo
- Instituto Biofisika (CSIC-UPV/EHU) and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain
- Department of Immunology, Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | | | | | - Johana Torralba
- Instituto Biofisika (CSIC-UPV/EHU) and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Maria Queralt
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics. Department of Physics. University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | - Antonio Alcaraz
- Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics. Department of Physics. University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain
| | - Jose L. Nieva
- Instituto Biofisika (CSIC-UPV/EHU) and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of the Basque Country, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Manuel V. Borca
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, ARS, USDA, Greenport, New York, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Tamás V, Righi C, Mészáros I, D'Errico F, Olasz F, Casciari C, Zádori Z, Magyar T, Petrini S, Feliziani F. Involvement of the MGF 110-11L Gene in the African Swine Fever Replication and Virulence. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:vaccines11040846. [PMID: 37112759 PMCID: PMC10145817 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11040846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
African swine fever (ASF) is a highly lethal hemorrhagic viral disease that causes extensive economic and animal welfare losses in the Eurasian pig (Sus scrofa) population. To date, no effective and safe vaccines have been marketed against ASF. A starting point for vaccine development is using naturally occurring attenuated strains as a vaccine base. Here, we aimed to remove the multigene family (MGF) 110 gene of unknown function from the Lv17/WB/Rie1 genome to improve the usability of the virus as a live-attenuated vaccine, reducing unwanted side effects. The MGF 110-11L gene was deleted using the CRISPR/Cas9 method, and the safety and efficacy of the virus were tested in pigs after isolation. The vaccine candidates administered at high doses showed reduced pathogenicity compared to the parental strain and induced immunity in vaccinated animals, although several mild clinical signs were observed. Although Lv17/WB/Rie1/d110-11L cannot be used as a vaccine in its current form, it was encouraging that the undesirable side effects of Lv17/WB/Rie1 at high doses can be reduced by additional mutations without a significant reduction in its protective capacity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vivien Tamás
- Institute for Veterinary Medical Research, Hungária krt. 21, 1143 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Cecilia Righi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Umbria-Marche "Togo Rosati", Via Gaetano Salvemini, 1, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| | - István Mészáros
- Institute for Veterinary Medical Research, Hungária krt. 21, 1143 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Federica D'Errico
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Umbria-Marche "Togo Rosati", Via Gaetano Salvemini, 1, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| | - Ferenc Olasz
- Institute for Veterinary Medical Research, Hungária krt. 21, 1143 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Cristina Casciari
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Umbria-Marche "Togo Rosati", Via Gaetano Salvemini, 1, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| | - Zoltán Zádori
- Institute for Veterinary Medical Research, Hungária krt. 21, 1143 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tibor Magyar
- Institute for Veterinary Medical Research, Hungária krt. 21, 1143 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Stefano Petrini
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Umbria-Marche "Togo Rosati", Via Gaetano Salvemini, 1, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| | - Francesco Feliziani
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale Umbria-Marche "Togo Rosati", Via Gaetano Salvemini, 1, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Ramirez-Medina E, Vuono EA, Rai A, Espinoza N, Valladares A, Spinard E, Velazquez-Salinas L, Gladue DP, Borca MV. Evaluation of the Function of ASFV Gene E66L in the Process of Virus Replication and Virulence in Swine. Viruses 2023; 15:v15020566. [PMID: 36851779 PMCID: PMC9965554 DOI: 10.3390/v15020566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Abstract
African swine fever virus (ASFV) is the etiological agent of an economically important disease of swine currently affecting large areas of Africa, Eurasia and the Caribbean. ASFV has a complex structure harboring a large dsDNA genome which encodes for more than 160 proteins. One of the proteins, E66L, has recently been involved in arresting gene transcription in the infected host cell. Here, we investigate the role of E66L in the processes of virus replication in swine macrophages and disease production in domestic swine. A recombinant ASFV was developed (ASFV-G-∆E66L), from the virulent parental Georgia 2010 isolate (ASFV-G), harboring the deletion of the E66L gene as a tool to assess the role of the gene. ASFV-G-∆E66L showed that the E66L gene is non-essential for ASFV replication in primary swine macrophages when compared with the parental highly virulent field isolate ASFV-G. Additionally, domestic pigs infected with ASFV-G-∆E66L developed a clinical disease undistinguishable from that produced by ASFV-G. Therefore, E66L is not involved in virus replication or virulence in domestic pigs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Ramirez-Medina
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY 11944, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Vuono
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY 11944, USA
| | - Ayushi Rai
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY 11944, USA
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - Nallely Espinoza
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY 11944, USA
| | - Alyssa Valladares
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY 11944, USA
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - Edward Spinard
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY 11944, USA
| | - Lauro Velazquez-Salinas
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY 11944, USA
| | - Douglas P. Gladue
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY 11944, USA
- Correspondence: (D.P.G.); (M.V.B.)
| | - Manuel V. Borca
- Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Greenport, NY 11944, USA
- Correspondence: (D.P.G.); (M.V.B.)
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Deletion of an African Swine Fever Virus ATP-Dependent RNA Helicase QP509L from the Highly Virulent Georgia 2010 Strain Does Not Affect Replication or Virulence. Viruses 2022; 14:v14112548. [PMID: 36423157 PMCID: PMC9694930 DOI: 10.3390/v14112548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
African swine fever virus (ASFV) produces a lethal disease (ASF) in domestic pigs, which is currently causing a pandemic deteriorating pig production across Eurasia. ASFV is a large and structurally complex virus with a large genome harboring more than 150 genes. ASFV gene QP509L has been shown to encode for an ATP-dependent RNA helicase, which appears to be important for efficient virus replication. Here, we report the development of a recombinant virus, ASFV-G-∆QP509L, having deleted the QP509L gene in the highly virulent field isolate ASFV Georgia 2010 (ASFV-G). It is shown that ASFV-G-∆QP509L replicates in primary swine macrophage cultures as efficiently as the parental virus ASFV-G. In addition, the experimental inoculation of pigs with 102 HAD50 by the intramuscular route produced a slightly protracted but lethal clinical disease when compared to that of animals inoculated with virulent parental ASFV-G. Viremia titers in animals infected with ASFV-G-∆QP509L also had slightly protracted kinetics of presentation. Therefore, ASFV gene QP509L is not critical for the processes of virus replication in swine macrophages, nor is it clearly involved in virus replication and virulence in domestic pigs.
Collapse
|