Serge Dea

Current knowledge on the structural proteins of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus: comparison of the North American and European isolates

Summary. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) belongs to the recently recognized Arteriviridae family within the genus Arterivirus, order Nidovirales, which also includes equine arteritis virus (EAV), lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus (LDV), and simian hemorrhagic fever virus (SHFV). Mature viral particles are composed of an envelope 50–72 nm in diameter, with an isometric core about 20–30 nm enclosing a linear positive-stranded RNA genome of approximately 15 kb. The virions are assembled by the budding of preformed nucleocapsids into the lumen of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and/or Golgi apparatus. The mature virions are then released by exocytosis. The viral genome contains eight open reading frames (ORFs) which are transcribed in cells as a nested set of subgenomic mRNAs. The ORF1a and ORF1b situated at the 5′end of the genome represent nearly 75% of the viral genome and code for proteins with apparent replicase and polymerase activities. The major structural proteins consist of a 25 kDa envelope glycoprotein (GP5), an 18–19 kDa unglycosylated membrane protein (M), and a 15 kDa nucleocapsid (N) protein, encoded by ORFs 5, 6 and 7, respectively. The N protein is the more abundant protein of the virion and is highly antigenic, which therefore makes it a suitable candidate for the detection of virus-specific antibodies and diagnosis of the disease. Four to five domains of antigenic importance have been identified for the N protein, a common conformational antigenic site for European and North American strains being localized in the central region of the protein. In cells and virions, both M and GP5 occur in heterodimeric complexes linked by disulfide bonds. The expression products of ORFs 2 and 4 are also incorporated into virus particles as additional minor membrane-associated glycoproteins designated as GP2 and GP4, with Mr of 29 and 31 kDa, respectively. The structural nature of the ORF3 product, a highly glycosylated protein with an apparent Mr of 42 kDa, is still being debated, in view of the apparently conflicting data on its presence in virus particles. Nonetheless, the GP3 of North American and European strains has been shown to be antigenic, providing protection for piglets against PRRSV infection in the absence of a noticeable neutralizing humoral response. Pigs exposed to the native form of GP5 by means of DNA immunization develop specific neutralizing and protecting antibodies. The GP5 is involved in antigenic variability, apoptosis, and possibly antibody-dependent enhancement phenomena. The GP4 also possesses antigenic determinants that trigger the immune system to produce neutralizing antibodies. Each of the PRRSV structural proteins carries common and type-specific antigenic determinants that permit the ability to differentiate between European and North American strains. The potential use of the PRRSV structural proteins in subunit recombinant-type vaccines is also discussed.

Prevalence of antibodies to the hepatitis E virus in pigs from countries where hepatitis E is common or is rare in the human population.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a very important public health concern in many developing countries where epidemics of hepatitis E are common. Sporadic cases of clinical hepatitis E not only occur in these countries but also occur uncommonly in patients with no known epidemiological exposure to HEV in industrialized countries. The source of infection in industrialized countries is unknown but it has been suggested that animals might serve as a reservoir for HEV in both settings. We recently identified and characterized an HEV strain (swine HEV) that infects large numbers of pigs in the United States. To assess the potential of pigs to serve as a global reservoir of HEV, we measured the prevalence of HEV antibodies in pigs in two countries where hepatitis E is endemic and two countries where it is not. Swine herds in all four countries contained many pigs that were seropositive for IgG anti‐HEV, although the percentage of seropositive pigs varied greatly from herd to herd. A very limited number of pig handlers in the two endemic countries were also tested and most of them were found to be seropositive for HEV. The results from this study suggest that hepatitis E is enzootic in pigs regardless of whether HEV is endemic in the respective human population. J. Med. Virol. 59:297–302, 1999. Published 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Immune response in pigs vaccinated with plasmid DNA encoding ORF5 of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

The ORF5-encoded major envelope glycoprotein (GP5) of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is one of the three major structural proteins of this virus. While some porcine convalescent sera and monoclonal antibodies directed against GP4 and GP5 have the capacity to neutralize the virus in vitro, the protein specificity of porcine neutralizing sera has not yet been established. DNA immunization with a plasmid encoding GP5 of PRRSV, under the control of a human cytomegalovirus promoter, induced anti-GP5-specific neutralizing antibodies in pigs and BALB/c mice. The GP5 protein specificity of neutralizing sera was confirmed by immunoblotting and ELISA. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from DNA-vaccinated pigs underwent blastogenic transformation in the presence of E. coli-expressed recombinant ORF5-encoded protein, indicating the specificity of the cellular immune response to GP5. Following a massive intratracheal challenge with the virulent IAF-Klop strain of PRRSV, DNA-vaccinated pigs were protected from generalized viraemia and the development of typical macroscopic lung lesions that were observed in unvaccinated, virus-challenged controls, as well as in pigs that were immunized with E. coli-expressed GST-ORF5 recombinant fusion protein. Interstitial pneumonitis and broncho-alveolitis were remarkably milder in DNA-vaccinated animals. These results suggest that the GP5 of PRRSV is a good candidate for a subunit recombinant-type vaccine.

Molecular analysis of the ORFs 3 to 7 of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, Québec reference strain.

SummaryThe cDNA sequence of the 3′-terminal genomic region of the Québec IAF-exp91 strain of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) was determined and compared to those of other reference strains from Europe (Lelystad virus) and US (ATCC VR2385, MN-1b). The sequence (2834 nucleotides) which encompassed ORFs 3 to 7 revealed extensive genomic variations between the Québec strain and Lelystad virus (LV), resulting from high number of base substitutions, additions and deletions. The ORFs 5, 3, and 7 seemed to be relatively the most variable; the predicted encoding products of the Québec and LV strains displayed only 52%, 54%, and 59% amino acid identities, respectively. Nevertheless, in vitro translation experiments of the structural genes (ORFs 5, 6, and 7) and radio-immunoprecipitation assays with extracellular virions gave results similar to those previously reported for LV. In contrast, close genomic relationships were demonstrated between Québec and US strains. Taking together, these results indicate that, although structurally similar, North American PRRSV strains belong to a genotype distinct from that of the LV, thus supporting previous findings that allowed to divide PRRSV isolates into two antigenic subgroups (U.S. and European).

Kinetics of humoral immune response to the major structural proteins of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

SummaryThe kinetics of appearance of antibodies directed to the major structural proteins N, M and E of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) was followed in pigs naturally- and experimentally-exposed to the virus. Specific IgM antibody titers were first detected by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) at the end of the first week of PRRSV infection, peaked by day 14 to 21 post-inoculation (p.i.), then rapidly decreased to undetectable levels by day 35 to 42 p.i. On the other hand, specific IgG antibody titers peaked by day 21 to 28 p.i. and remained unchanged to the end of the 6- or 9-week observation period; in addition, a persistent viremia was observed. Virus neutralizing (VN) antibody titers >8 were not detected until 3 to 4 weeks p.i. Taken together, the results obtained by Western blotting analyses using purified virus andE. coli-expressed ORFs 5 to 7 gene products, suggested that antibodies directed against the envelope E protein appear by day 7 p.i., whereas antibodies directed against the nucleocapsid N and membrane M proteins can only be detected by the end of the second week p.i. No correlation could be demonstrated between VN and IIF antibody titers, viremia, and viral protein specificities of circulating antibodies at various times p.i.

Monoclonal antibodies to the ORF5 product of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus define linear neutralizing determinants

Complementary DNA encoding the ORF5 gene of a Quebec reference isolate (IAF-Klop) of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) was cloned into the prokaryotic expression vectors pGEX-4T and pET21a to produce ORF5-glutathione S-transferase and ORF5-polyhistidine fusion proteins. Five hybridoma cell lines producing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the 25 kDa viral envelope glycoprotein (GP5) were obtained from BALB/c mice immunized with the affinity chromatography-purified GST-ORF5 fusion protein. The polypeptide specificity of these anti-PRRSV MAbs, belonging to the IgG1 isotype, was confirmed by Western immunoblotting assays with recombinant and native viral proteins, and by radioimmunoprecipitation using [35S]methionine-labelled concentrated extracellular virus. All these MAbs showed virus-neutralizing (VN) activity, with VN titres ranging from 1:32 to 1:128. Two MAbs (IAF-1B8 and IAF-8A8) reacted with similar titres with the modified live attenuated vaccine strain ATCC VR-2332, but all five failed to react to the prototype European strain, the Lelystad virus, in VN and indirect immunofluorescence tests. The results obtained suggest that these five anti-PRRSV MAbs are directed to serotype-specific linear neutralizing epitopes which are not affected by the absence of carbohydrate residues.

Seroneutralization of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Correlates with Antibody Response to the GP5 Major Envelope Glycoprotein

To determine the structural protein of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) involved in the production of neutralizing antibodies following clinical infection, correlation was studied between virus neutralization capability of convalescent pig sera and antibody response to the open reading frames (ORFs) 3-, 4-, 5-, and 7-encoded proteins GP3, GP4, GP5, and N, respectively. Individual virus genes were cloned into the pGEX-4T-1 vector, and the recombinant viral proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli fused to the glutathione S-transferase (GST) protein. The resulting GST-ORF3, GST-ORF4, GST-ORF5, and GST-ORF7 recombinant fusion proteins were purified by electroelution and used as antigens for serologic testing by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and western immunoblotting. The overall antibody (IgG and IgM) titers to PRRSV of pooled convalescent pig sera were first determined by indirect immunofluorescence, and then sera with specific IgG titers > 1:1,024 were tested for their specific virus neutralization activity and reactivity to individual recombinant fusion proteins. Except for the early immune response (as revealed by the presence of specific IgM), neutralizing titers were correlated with anti-GP5 titers but not with anti-GP3 and anti-GP4 titers. The correlation between virus neutralization and anti-GP5 titers was significant (r = 0.811, P ≤ 0.001).

A nonstructural and antigenic glycoprotein is encoded by ORF3 of the IAF-Klop strain of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

SummaryOpen reading frame 3 (ORF3) of the genome of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), Quebec strain IAF-Klop, was reverse-transcribed and cloned into the procaryotic expression vector pGEX-4T-1, then subcloned into the eucaryotic expression vector pAdCMV5 which was used as a shuttle vector to generate a replication-defective recombinant adenovirus. The procaryotic GST-ORF3 recombinant fusion protein was used to raise a monospecific antiserum in rabbits. By Western-immunoblotting with PRRSV-infected cell extracts, the ORF3 encoded protein had an estimated molecular mass (Mr) of 42 kDa, similar to that of the protein expressed by the adenovirus vector. Endoglycosidase F digestion showed that the ORF3 encoded protein occurs in an highly glycosylated form (GP3) in the infected MARC-145 cells. Pulse-chase and radioimmunoprecipitation experiments revealed that the GP3 protein was present in amounts equivalent to those of the N, M, and GP5 proteins in the infected cells, whereas no GP3 could be detected in purified virions. During the first 30 min of chase, the GP3 undergoes a gradual downward shift of its apparent Mr, thought to result from trimming of the mannose-rich glycan structures. Tested convalescent pig sera that were found to be seropositive to PRRSV by indirect immunofluorescence reacted positively with the recombinant GST-ORF3 fusion protein by immunoblotting. Data indicated that the ORF3 protein of the Quebec reference strain of PRRSV is a highly glycosylated and antigenic protein, which is nonstructural.

Ultrastructural Characteristics and Morphogenesis of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus Propagated in the Highly Permissive MARC-145 Cell Clone

A Québec reference strain of PRRSV (IAF-KLOP) was successfully propagated in MARC-145 cells, a highly permissive cell clone to PRRSV derived from the MA-104 cell line. Purified extracellular virions appeared as pleomorphic but mostly spherical enveloped particles, 50-72 nm in diameter, with an isometric core about 25-30 nm. By indirect immunofluorescence, detection of viral antigens within the cytoplasm was possible as soon as 6 h.p.i. Nucleocapsids, budding at smooth endoplasmic reticulum (ER), and enveloped viral particles that tended to accumulate in the lumen of ER or Golgi vesicles, were the main features of the viral morphogenesis. The virus apparently was released by exocytosis.

Competitive ELISA for detection of antibodies to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus using recombinant E. coli-expressed nucleocapsid protein as antigen.

The 15 kDa nucleocapsid (N) protein is the most abundant protein of the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), and is highly antigenic, which therefore makes it a suitable candidate for the detection of virus-specific antibodies and diagnosis of the disease. In this study, complementary DNA corresponding to the entire N gene of the IAF-Klop strain of PRRSV was cloned into the pGEX-4T-1 vector, and the N protein was expressed in Escherichia coli fused to the glutathione S-transferase (GST) protein. The resulting GST-N recombinant fusion protein was purified by affinity chromatography and used as antigen for serological testing by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Two anti-N specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) (IAF-K8 and IAF-2B4), obtained following fusion experiments with spleen cells of BAlb/c mice that were immunized with the purified virus, were used in a competitive assay to increase the specificity of the ELISA. Both MAbs were found to be directed against highly conserved conformational epitopes of North American isolates of PRRSV. Optimal concentration of GST-N protein was determined by checkerboard titration, using hyperimmune pig antiserum to the homologous PRRSV strain, and corresponded to a range of 0.1-0.5 microg protein per well. When tested on 95 sera from pigs that were experimentally infected with the IAF-Klop strain, the competitive ELISA (K8-ELISA) was capable of detecting anti-PRRSV antibodies in 86.7% (65/75) and 92.6% (63/68) of pig sera known to be seropositive by indirect immunofluorescence (antibody titers >16) and a currently used commercial ELISA (HerdCheck(R); Idexx), with specificity values of 100 and 96.2%, respectively. When tested on clinical samples (542 sera) from 28 positive and 28 negative pig herds, the K8-ELISA performed in a similar way to HerdCheck(R) and immunofluorescence (IF) tests as shown by kappa values of 0.762 and 0.803. The sensitivity and specificity of K8-ELISA were 100% on a herd basis, whereas sensitivity values of 80 and 82% with a specificity of 98.7% were determined on an individual basis in comparison with HerdCheck(R) and IF tests.