非洲猪瘟病毒的非必需基因:真的可有可无吗?

Nonessential genes of African swine fever virus: nothing or something?

非洲猪瘟(African swine fever,ASF)是由非洲猪瘟病毒(African swine fever virus,ASFV)引起的一种出血性、致死性的猪烈性传染病。ASF在全球广泛传播,给养猪业造成重大的经济损失。ASFV基因组庞大,可编码150多种蛋白,一些非必需基因编码的蛋白与调控病毒毒力、复制和免疫逃逸等相关。通过删除ASFV毒力相关的非必需基因所构建的减毒株是当前比较有前景的疫苗,然而其安全性有待提高。系统地鉴定ASFV非必需基因及其功能,不仅有助于ASF基因缺失疫苗的研发,也有益于ASFV致病机制研究。本文对目前已鉴定的ASFV非必需基因及其功能研究进行了总结分析,着重讨论了影响ASFV毒力、调控病毒复制、参与免疫逃逸的非必需基因及其编码蛋白的功能,旨在加深对ASFV病原学的认识,为新的ASFV非必需基因的鉴定和功能研究提供参考。

African swine fever(ASF) is a hemorrhagic and fatal infectious disease caused by African swine fever virus(ASFV). ASF is endemic or epidemic in Africa, Asia, and Europe and causes huge economic losses to the pig industry. ASFV has a large DNA genome encoding more than 150 proteins, including many nonessential genes-encoded proteins associating with ASFV virulence, viral replication, immunoescape and unknown functions.Currently, a number of ASF live attenuated vaccines have been developed by deleting virulence-related nonessential genes. Generally, these vaccines have safety concerns, although they are able to provide partial to full protection. Systematic identification of more nonessential genes, especially virulence-related genes, will not only contribute to the development of safer gene-deleted ASF vaccines, but also benefit the understanding of the ASF pathogenesis. This review systematically summarizes the functions of known nonessential genes of ASFV, with focus on those involved in virulence, regulation of viral replication and escape of host antiviral immunity, and puts forward suggestions for the identification and functional study of unknown nonessential genes of ASFV.