Expression of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus ORF7 Gene and Purification and Immunological Activity Analysis of the Recombinant Protein

[Objective] The aim of this study was to realize efficient expression of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus （PRRSV） ORF7 gene in genetic engineering bacteria and analYze the immunological activity of the recombinant protein after purification. [ Method] The constructed recombinant expression vector pET-ORF7 was transformed into Escherichia co1BL21 （DE3） and induced by IPTG under the optimal condition. After analysis of SDS-PAGE and Western Blot, the expression products were purified by Ni-NTA His · Bind Resin chrom- atographic column under denaturing condition and renatured by gradient dialysis. Subsequently, the immunological activity of the renatured recombinant protein was detected by Westem Blot and indirect ELISA. [ Result] The recombinant plasmid pET-ORF7 expressed in E. coli successfully, and the fusion protein was in the form of inclusion body. By SDS-PAGE detection, the molecular weight of the expression protein was approximate 33 kD, according with the expectation. Analysis by Bandscan software showed that the expressed fusion protein was about 50% of total bacterial protein of BL21 （DE3）. Wastem Blot and indirect ELISA detection showed that the renatured protein could react with PRRSV positive serum specifically, indicating its good immunological activity. [ Conclusion] This study lays a foundation for the preparation of PRRSV monoclonal antibody and diagnostic kit.

Location of Highly Pathogenic Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus in Tissues of Natural Cases

[ Objective] The aim of this study was to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome （HP-PRRS）. [Method] Antigen location and histopathological observation in natural cases infected by highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus （HP-PRRSV） were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and H. E. staining. [Result] The virus antigen mainly existed in epithelial calls, and also a few in mecrophages, lymphocytes and brain nerve cells. [ Conclusion] The cell and tissue tropism of HP-PRRSV strain in natural cases is different from that of previous strains.

Analysis on Heredity and Variation of the ORF_5 Gene of Prevalence Strains Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus

[ Objective] The aim was to analyze the reason and epidemic trend of PRRSV, and provide theoretical basis for preventing and controlling PRRS. [Methed]According to the sequence of ATCC VR-2332 strain porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus published by the GenBank, the primers were designed and synthesized. ORF5 gene sequences of seven prevalence strains were amplified by RT-PCR. The sequences of ORF5 genes were analyzed by DNAStar and compared with those of ATCC VR-2332, CH-1 a, B J-4, LV-M96262 and MLV vaccine strains, phylogenetic tree among isolates was analyzed. [Result] Analysis of nucleotide sequence showed that the homology was 88.1% - 98.8%, 89.9% -95.2%, 85.6% -98.7% between ORF5 genes of seven prevalence strains and VR-2332, CH-1a, BJ-4, and the homology was 54.7% -56.9% between ORF5 genes and LV. Analysis of amino acid sequence showed that the homology was 88.1% -96.8%, 88.1% - 94.5%, 86.1% -96.5% between ORF5 genes of seven prevalence strains and VR-2332, CH-1a, bBJ-4, the homology was 54.7% -56.2% between the ORF5 genes and LV.[ Conclusion] The variation of prevalence strains was great in the ORF5 gene region, the homology of ORF5 gene sequence was higher and genetic relationship was nearer during prevalence strains in the same region, or was far in different regions.

Development of an Improved DNA-launched Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Reverse Genetics System

[Objective] This study was to improve the virus replication efficiency of full length infectious cDNA clones by making use of the ribozyme＇s self incision property.[Method] By employing three-step PCR,HDV ribozyme（HdvRz）cDNA was isolated,and cloned into the downstream flanking the genome of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus,and into which the bovine growth hormone polyadenylation sequence（BGH）was inserted via enzyme digestion and ligation,yielding pAPRRS-HB.The newly constructed pAPRRS-HB was used to transfect MARC-145 cells,in which the N protein and non-structural protein（nsp2）were determined by indirect immunofluorescence assay after 72 h of expression;meanwhile the virus titer of cell supernatant was tested using TCID50 assay.[Result] pAPRRS-HB containing complete infectious PRRSV cDNA has been successfully developed,and it performed about 10-fold higher virus rescue rate than pAPRRS without the engineered ribozyme element.[Conclusion] The results laid a foundation for revealing the structure and function of PRRSV gene.

Influence of Hypericum perforatum Extract on Piglet Infected with Porcine Respiratory and Reproductive Syndrome Virus

To study the influence of Hypericum perforatum extract （HPE） on piglets infected with porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus （PRRSV）, enzyme-labeled immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and cytopathic effect （CPE） were used to determine in vitro whether HPE could induce swine pulmonary alveolar macrophages （PAMs） to secrete IFN-γ, and whether PRRSV titers in PAMs were affected by the levels of HPE-induced IFN-γ. HPE （200 mg·kg-1） was administrated by oral gavage to piglets infected with the PRRSV in vivo to observe whether HPE affected the viremia, lung viral titers, and weight gain of piglets infected with PRRSV. The results showed that HPE was capable of inducing PAMs to produce IFN-γ in a dose dependent manner and HPE pretreatment was capable of significantly reducing PRRSV viral titers in PAMs （P〈 0.01）. Administration of HPE to the PRRSV-infected animals significantly （P〈 0.05） reduced viremia over time as compared with the PRRSV-infected animals. But there was not significant decrease in lung viral titers at day 21 post-infection between the HPE- treated animals and the PRRSV-infected control piglets. There were no significant differences in weight gain over time among the HPE-treatment animals, the normal control, and the HPE control animals. The PRRSV-infected animals caused significant （P〈 0.01） growth retardation as compared with the HPE controls and the normal piglets. It suggested that HPE might be an effective novel therapeutic approach to diminish the PRRSV-induced disease in swine.

Use of a Multiplex RT-PCR Assay for Simultaneous Detection of the North American Genotype Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus,Swine Influenza Virus and Japanese Encephalitis Virus

A multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction(multiplex RT-PCR) assay was developed and subsequently evaluated for its efficacy in the detection of multiple viral infections simultaneously,in swine.Specific primers for each of the 3 RNA viruses,North American genotype porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus,Japanese encephalitis virus,and swine influenza virus,were used in the testing procedure.The assay was shown to be highly sensitive because it could detect as little as 10-5 ng of each of the respective amplicons in a single sample containing a composite of all 3 viruses.The assay was also effective in detecting one or more of the same viruses in various combinations in specimens,including lymph nodes,lungs,spleens,and tonsils,collected from clinically ill pigs and in spleen specimens collected from aborted pig fetuses.The results from the multiplex RT-PCR were confirmed by virus isolation.The relative efficiency(compared to the efficiency of separate assays for each virus) and apparent sensitivity of the multiplex RT-PCR method show that this method has potential for application in routine molecular diagnostic procedures.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus vaccines: Immunogenicity, efficacy and safety aspects

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus(PRRSV) infection is the leading cause of economic casualty in swine industry worldwide. The virus can cause reproductive failure, respiratory disease, and growth retardation in the pigs. This review deals with current status of commercial PRRS vaccines presently used to control PRRS. The review focuses on the immunogenicity, protective efficacy and safety aspects of the vaccines. Commercial PRRS modified-live virus(MLV) vaccine elicits delayed humoral and cell-mediated immune responses following vaccination. The vaccine confers late but effective protection against genetically homologous PRRSV, and partial protection against genetically heterologous virus. The MLV vaccine is of concern for its safety as the vaccine virus can revert to virulence and cause diseases. PRRS killed virus(KV) vaccine, on the other hand, is safe but confers limited protection against either homologous or heterologous virus. The KV vaccine yet helps reduce disease severity when administered to the PRRSV-infected pigs. Although efforts have been made to improve the immunogenicity, ef-ficacy and safety of PRRS vaccines, a better vaccine is still needed in order to protect against PRRSV.

Vaccination of Plasmid DNA Encoding Somatostatin Gene Fused with GP5 Gene of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Induces Anti-GP5 Antibodies and Promotes Growth Performance in Immunized Pigs

Somatostatin （SS） is a hormone that inhibits the secretion of growth hormone. Immunization against SS can promote the growth of animals. This paper described the effects of DNA immunization on the growth and antibody response in mice and pigs immunized with a plasmid DNA encoding SS fused with GP5 of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus （PRRSV）. A fragment of 180 bp encoding partial SS gene was amplified by PCR from the genomic DNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of pigs, and cloned as a fusion gene with PRRSV GP5 in plasmid pISGRTK3. Three times of immunization with the resulting plasmid pISG-SS/GP5 induced anti-GP5 antibodies in BALB/c mice and pigs, as demonstrated by GP5-specific ELISA and immunoblotting. Compared with pigs immunized with empty vector pISGRTK3, the growth performance of pigs immunized with pISG-SS/GP5 was increased by 11.1% on the 13th week after the last vaccination. The results indicated the plasmid DNA encoding SS and PRRSV GP5 fusion gene elicited anti-GP5 antibodies and improved the growth performance of immunized pigs.

Evaluation of the Pathogenicity of a Highly Pathogenic Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Variant in Piglets

Since May 2006,a highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus （HP-PRRSV） variant characterized by 30 amino acids deletion within its NSP2-coding region emerged and caused extensive economic losses to China＇s pig industry.To investigate the in vivo pathogenicity and immune responses of the newly emerging PRRSV,3 groups of 60-d-old conventional piglets were inoculated intranasally with a representative strain of the HP-PRRSV variant HuN4 with 3 different infection doses （3×103-3×105 TCID50）.The results revealed that the virus variant caused severe disease in piglets and the significant clinical characteristics consisted of persistently high fever （41.0-41.9oC） and high morbidity and mortality （60-100%）,the marked clinical signs of PRRS and severe histopathogenic damages in multiple organs.It induced rapid and intense humoral immune responses and seroconversion was detected in most infected pigs at 7 d post-infection （DPI）.The virus vigorously replicated in vivo and the highest virus average titer was 9.7 log copies mL-1 serum at 7 DPI.Elevated levels of IFN-g and IL-10 cytokine production in serum in this study were also observed.Taken together,our results demonstrated that the HP-PRRSV variant HuN4 strain is highly pathogenic for piglets and suitable to be a reference strain of highly virulent PRRSV for evaluating the efficacy of the new vaccines.

A direct real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for rapid high-throughput detection of highly pathogenic North American porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in China without RNA purification

Background： Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus （PRRSV）, and particularly its highly pathogenic genotype （HP-PRRSV）, have caused massive economic losses to the global swine industry. Results： To rapidly identify HP-PRRSV, we developed a direct reaL-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction method （dRT-PCR） that could detect the virus from serum specimen without the need of RNA purification Our dRT-PCR assay can be completed in 1.5 h from when a sample is received to obtaining a result. Additionally, the sensitivity of dRT-PCR matched that of conventional reverse transcription PCR （cRT-PCR） that used purified RNA The lowest detection limit of HP-PRRSV was 6.3 TCIDs0 using dRT-PCR. We applied dRT-PCR assay to 144 field samples and the results showed strong consistency with those obtained by cRT-PCR. Moreover, the dRT-PCR method was able to tolerate 5-20% （v/v） serum. Conclusions： Our dRT-PCR assay allows for easier, faster, more cost-effective and higher throughput detection of HP-PRRSV compared with cRT-PCR methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to describe a real-time RT-PCR assay capable of detecting PRRSV in crude serum samples without the requirement for purifying RNA. We believe our approach has a great potential for application to other RNA viruses.

Application of GP5 Protein to Develop Monoclonal Antibody against Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus

In this study, a panel of monoclonal antibodies （mAbs） against Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus（PRRSV）, named as 8C9 and4B4, were produced by fusing SP2/0 myeloma cells and spleen cells of BALB/c mice immunized with the PRRSV （TCID50=5.5）, screened by the indirect ELISA and subjected to several limiting dilutions, mAbs were then identified by biological characterization. Among the two fusion cell strains, 8C9 belonged to the IgG1 subclass and 4B4 belonged to the IgG2a subclass. The titers in cell culture supematant and abdomen liquor reached to 1：104and 1：105, respectively. The specificity test indicated that the two cells had specific reactions for the PRRSV and GP5 protein respectively, and no reaction with Classical swine fever virus （CSFV） or Swine vesicular disease virus （SVDV）. The molecular weights of the heavy chain and light chain were about 45.0 kDa and 25.0 kDa, respectively. In neutralization activity tests, the results showed that the prepared mAb 4B4 can protect 50% of cells with no CPE in dilution up to 1：512, but mAB 8C9 has no neutralization activities to PRRSV.

Characterization of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Deletion Mutant

The genome of the isolate of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus （PRRSV） from China, designated HPBEDV, was sequenced and analyzed. The size of the genome of HPBEDV was 15 334 nucleotides （nt）. Comparative analysis of HPBEDV with the genomic sequences of the domestic and other isolates （JXA 1, HUN4, CH-1 a, B J-4, VR2332, and LV） revealed that HPBEDV shared 98.4, 98.0, 89.0, 88.7, and 88.6% identity with the American strain JXA1, HUN4, CH- 1a, BJ-4, and VR2332, respectively, but only 54.7% identity with the European reference strain Lelystad virus. The NSP2 gene had 2 850 nt and encoded 950 amino acids （aa）, with two discontiguous deletions of 1 aa and 29 aa at positions 482 and 534-562, respectively, relative to VR-2332. Also, phylogenetic analysis with the published PRRSV genomic sequences indicated that the newly emerging isolate form a clade with the VR-2332 isolates. Therefore, HPBEDV was a novel strain with deletions in NSP2 gene.

Molecular Characterization of a Highly Pathogenetic Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Variant in Hubei, China

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) has been recognized as one of the most important pathogens of pigs throughout the world. In 2006, more than 10 provinces of China have experienced an epizootic outbreak of pig diseases characterized by high fever, reddened skin and high morbidity and mortality. From June 2006 to April 2007, we have investigated some clinical samples in Hubei province by RT-PCR and cloned several major genes, N, GP5 and NSP2 gene, shown in this study. Phylogenetic analysis of these genes revealed that the highly pathogenic PRRSV variant, ZB, was responsible for 2006 emergent outbreak of pig disease in Hubei province similar with those variants isolated from other provinces in China in 2006, and belongs to the NA-type PRRSV. In the PRRSV variants, the N and GP5 shear about 90% identity with prototypic ATCC VR-2332 and some typical NA-type Chinese isolates, except the 2850bp NSP2 gene (only shares 65% identity with ATCC VR-2332). But they all shear more than and 97% identity with other highly pathogenetic Chinese PRRSV strains. Additionally, there are extensive amino acid (aa) mutations in the GP5 protein and 2 deletions in the Nsp2 protein when compared with the previous isolates. Most of the variants found in 2006 epizootic outbreak of pig diseases in China were the farthest variants from the typical NA-type PRRSV in phylogenetic distance, and these diversities may be responsible for the differences in the pathogenicity observed between these variants and original Chinese PRRSV strains.

Identification of the strain-specifically truncated nonstructural protein 10 of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in infected cells

The nonstructural protein 10（nsp10） of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus（PRRSV） encodes for helicase which plays a vital role in viral replication. In the present study, a truncated form of nsp10, termed nsp10 a, was found in PRRSV-infected cells and the production of nsp10 a was strain-specific. Mass spectrometric analysis and deletion mutagenesis indicated that nsp10 a may be short of about 70 amino acids in the N terminus of nsp10. Further studies by rescuing recombinant viruses showed that the Glu-69 in nsp10 was the key amino acid for nsp10 a production. Finally, we demonstrated that nsp10 a exerted little influence on the growth kinetics of PRRSV in vitro.

Analysis of molecular variation in porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in China between 2007 and 2012

In the present study, 89 porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus(PRRSV) isolates in China during 2007 to 2012 were randomly selected from the GenBank genetic sequence database. Evolutionary characteristics of these isolates were analyzed based on the sequences of non-struc-tural protein 2(Nsp2) and glycoprotein 5(GP5). The genetic variations of the isolates were also compared with six representative strains. The results showed that a high degree of genetic diversity exists among the PRRSV population in China. Highly pathogenic PRRSV isolates, with a discon-tinuous deletion of a 30 amino acid residue in the Nsp2 region, remained the most dominant virus throughout 2007–2012 in China. Owing to the extensive use of representative vaccine strains, natu-ral recombination events occurred between strains. Three isolates – HH08, DY, and YN-2011 – were more closely related to vaccine strains than the other isolates. Both YN-2011 and DY were the evolu-tionary products of recombination events between strains SP and CH-1R. The results of the present study provide useful information for the epidemiology of PRRSV as well as for vaccine development.

Generation of Monoclonal Antibody to Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus GP4 Protein and Identification of Its Minic Epitopes

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus(PRRSV)GP4 protein was prokaryotically expressed,and used as an antigen to immunize six-week-old BALB/c female mice.With conventional cell fusion method,an anti-PRRSV GP4 protein monoclonal antibody(Mab)5F12 was successfully prepared.It was identified as IgG2b subclass and had better stability and specificity,which not only responded with recombinant PRRSV GP4 protein,but also with PRRSV.Phage display technique had varieties of applications,in particular,the identification of key antigen epitopes for the development of therapeutic and diagnostic reagents and vaccines.In this study,Mab-5F12 was used as the target for biopanning a 12-mer phage random peptide library.After four rounds of biopanning,two phage-displayed peptides,named P-A and P-G(AKFEVCSPVVLG and GVNQENMLHFSF)were identified that recognized Mab-5F12 specifically.Sequence analysis showed that one or more of the peptides exhibited partial sequence similarity to the native GP4 protein sequence,which corresponded to 69-80 and 84-95 aa segments of the HP-PRRSV GP4 protein.Furthermore,real-time quantitative RT-PCR and indirect immunofluorescence assay indicated consistently the abilities of P-A and P-G to block viral infection in Marc-145 cells and they could function as antiviral agents for PRRSV.

Attenuation of Virulent Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Strain CH-1a and Genetic Variation of ORF5 Gene

To develop a modified live vaccine （MLV） against porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus （PRRSV）, virulent CH-Ia strain was attenuated by serial passages up to 130 passage （P130） in Marc-145 cells. The virulence and immune efficacy of the attenuated CH-1 a were evaluated in pigs. The results showed that animals inoculated with P130 did not develop any clinical sign of the disease, but produced rapid and effective humoral immune responses against PRRSV challenge, indicating that attenuated CH-1 a P 130 is the candidate as the effective vaccine against PRRSV. To define the potential mutations in the attenuated CH-la genome, we sequenced and analyzed the ORF5 gene of CH-la strain of different passages （P39, P55, P65, P70, P85, P100, P115, P120, P125, and P130） and found that three mutations （C5Y, H38Q and L146Q） which may be related with the attenuation of CH-la. In addition, we also found a unique restriction enzyme site （TspEI） in the ORF5 gene of attenuated CH-la, which can be used as a genetic marker to distinguish original and attenuated CH- 1 a.

Review for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome （PRRS） is the severest disease of pigs worldwide, caused by a highly genetically diverse RNA virus, called Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus （PRRSV）. The research summarized the genome characteristics of PRRSV particles and the most updated knowledge of structure protein function, and introduced the intellectual of PRRSV transmission and host immune response, which is very important for prevention and control for PRRS. A report showed that mass vaccination can stabilize the immunity of the entire herd, and this is the first required step for a PRRS eradication plan. However, the attenuated live vaccines may not achieve a valid prevention. The final goal of the EU project is to develop new generation, efficacious and safe maker vaccines that can be adapted to temporary changes and geographical differences.Robinson reported that broadly antibodies could neutralize all rapidly evolving type Ⅰ and type Ⅱ viruses, while further studies are expected to elucidate mechanisms of neutralizing antibody production and maturation and to investigate conserved epitope targets of cross-neutralization in this rapidly evolving virus.

Generation and Immunogenicity of a Recombinant Adenovirus Co-Expressing the E2 Protein of Classical Swine Fever Virus and the GP5 Protein of Porcine Reproduction and Respiratory Syndrome Virus

Classical swine fever （CSF） and porcine reproduction and respiratory syndrome （PRRS） are both economically important, highly contagious diseases of swine worldwide. To develop an effective vaccine to control these two diseases, we constructed a recombinant adenovirus rAdV-GP52AE2, using a replication-defective human adenovirus serotype 5 as a delivery vector, to co-express the GP5 protein of highly pathogenic porcine reproduction and respiratory syndrome virus （PRRSV） and the E2 protein of classical swine fever virus （CSFV）. Foot-and-mouth disease virus （FMDV） 2A peptide was used as a linker between the GP5 and E2 proteins to allow automatic self-cleavage of the polyprotein. The GP5 and E2 genes were expressed as demonstrated by immunofluorescence assay and Western blotting. Immunization of mice resulted in a CSFV-neutralizing antibody titer of 1：128 and a PRRSV-neutralizing antibody titer of 1：16. The lymphoproliferative responses were detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and the stimulation index of CFSV-specific and PRRSV-specific lymphocytes in the rAdV-GP52AE2 group was significantly higher than that in the negative control group. The results show that rAdV-GP52AE2 can induce both effective humoral and cell-mediated immune responses in mice. The protective efficacy of the recombinant virus against CSF was evaluated in immunized rabbits, which were protected from fever induced by challenge with C-strain. Our study provides supporting evidence for the use of FMDV 2A to develop a bivalent genetically-engineered vaccine.

miR-204 suppresses porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus(PRRSV)replication via inhibiting LC3B-mediated autophagy

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome(PRRS)caused by PRRS virus(PRRSV)has been regarded as a persistent challenge for the swine farms worldwide.microRNAs(miRNAs)play key roles in regulating almost every important biological process,including virus-host interaction.In this study,we found that miR-204 was highly expressed in cells that were not permissive to PRRSV infection compared with cells susceptible to PRRSV infection.Subsequently,we demonstrated that overexpression of miR-204 significantly inhibited PRRSV replication in porcine alveolar macrophages(PAMs).Through bioinformatic analysis,we found that there existed a potential binding site of miR-204 on the 30UTR of microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3B(MAP1LC3B,LC3B),a hallmark of autophagy.Applying experiments including luciferase reporter assay and UV cross-linking and immunoprecipitation(CLIP)assay,we demonstrated that miR-204 directly targeted LC3B,thereby downregulating autophagy.Meanwhile,we investigated the interplay between autophagy and PRRSV replication in PAMs,confirming that PRRSV infection induces autophagy,which in turn facilitates viral replication.Overall,we verify that miR-204 suppresses PRRSV replication via inhibiting LC3B-mediated autophagy in PAMs.These findings will provide a novel potential approach for us to develop antiviral therapeutic agents and controlling measures for future PRRSV outbreaks.