Sustaining Interferon Induction by a High-Passage Atypical Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Strain

Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 2:6:36312. doi: 10.1038/srep36312.

Abstract

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) strain A2MC2 induces type I interferons in cultured cells. The objective of this study was to attenuate this strain by serial passaging in MARC-145 cells and assess its virulence and immunogenicity in pigs. The A2MC2 serially passaged 90 times (A2MC2-P90) retains the feature of interferon induction. The A2MC2-P90 replicates faster with a higher virus yield than wild type A2MC2 virus. Infection of primary pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) also induces interferons. Sequence analysis showed that the A2MC2-P90 has genomic nucleic acid identity of 99.8% to the wild type but has a deletion of 543 nucleotides in nsp2. The deletion occurred in passage 60. The A2MC2-P90 genome has a total of 35 nucleotide variations from the wild type, leading to 26 amino acid differences. Inoculation of three-week-old piglets showed that A2MC2-P90 is avirulent and elicits immune response. Compared with Ingelvac PRRS® MLV strain, A2MC2-P90 elicits higher virus neutralizing antibodies. The attenuated IFN-inducing A2MC2-P90 should be useful for development of an improved PRRSV vaccine.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Neutralizing / metabolism
  • Antibodies, Viral / metabolism
  • Cell Line
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Genetic Variation
  • Genotype
  • Interferon Type I / metabolism*
  • Macrophages, Alveolar / cytology
  • Macrophages, Alveolar / virology
  • Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus / genetics
  • Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus / immunology*
  • Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus / pathogenicity*
  • Sequence Deletion
  • Swine
  • Vero Cells
  • Viral Proteins / genetics*
  • Virulence
  • Virus Cultivation / methods*
  • Virus Replication

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Interferon Type I
  • Viral Proteins