Multiple defects in the genome of pseudorabies virus can affect virulence without detectably affecting replication in cell culture

A Review of Pseudorabies Virus Variants: Genomics, Vaccination, Transmission, and Zoonotic Potential

Pseudorabies virus (PRV), the causative agent of Aujeszky’s disease, has a broad host range including most mammals and avian species. In 2011, a PRV variant emerged in many Bartha K61-vaccinated pig herds in China and has attracted more and more attention due to its serious threat to domestic and wild animals, and even human beings. The PRV variant has been spreading in China for more than 10 years, and considerable research progresses about its molecular biology, pathogenesis, transmission, and host–virus interactions have been made. This review is mainly organized into four sections including outbreak and genomic evolution characteristics of PRV variants, progresses of PRV variant vaccine development, the pathogenicity and transmission of PRV variants among different species of animals, and the zoonotic potential of PRV variants. Considering PRV has caused a huge economic loss of animals and is a potential threat to public health, it is necessary to extensively explore the mechanisms involved in its replication, pathogenesis, and transmission in order to ultimately eradicate it in China.

Vaccines against pseudorabies virus (PrV)

Aujeszkýs disease (AD, pseudorabies) is a notifiable herpesvirus infection of pigs causing substantial economic losses to swine producers. AD in pigs is controlled by the use of vaccination with inactivated and attenuated live vaccines. Starting with classically attenuated live vaccines derived from low virulent field isolates, AD vaccination has pioneered novel strategies in animal disease control by the first use of genetically engineered live virus vaccines lacking virulence-determining genes, and the concept of DIVA, i.e. the serological differentiation of vaccinated from field-virus infected animals by the use of marker vaccines and respective companion diagnostic tests. The basis for this concept has been the molecular characterization of PrV and the identification of so-called nonessential envelope glycoproteins, e.g. glycoprotein E, which could be eliminated from the virus without harming viral replication or immunogenicity. Eradication of AD using the strategy of vaccination-DIVA testing has successfully been performed in several countries including Germany and the United States. Furthermore, by targeted genetic modification PrV has been developed into a powerful vector system for expression of foreign genes to vaccinate against several infectious diseases of swine, while heterologous vector systems have been used for expression of major immunogens of PrV. This small concise review summarizes the state-of-the-art information on PrV vaccines and provides an outlook for the future.

Transcriptome signature of virulent and attenuated pseudorabies virus-infected rodent brain

Mammalian alphaherpesviruses normally establish latent infections in ganglia of the peripheral nervous system in their natural hosts. Occasionally, however, these viruses spread to the central nervous system (CNS), where they cause damaging, often fatal, infections. Attenuated alphaherpesvirus derivatives have been used extensively as neuronal circuit tracers in a variety of animal models. Their circuit-specific spread provides a unique paradigm to study the local and global CNS response to infection. Thus, we systematically analyzed the host gene expression profile after acute pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection of the CNS using Affymetrix GeneChip technology. Rats were injected intraocularly with one of three selected virulent and attenuated PRV strains. Relative levels of cellular transcripts were quantified from hypothalamic and cerebellar tissues at various times postinfection. The number of cellular genes responding to infection correlated with the extent of virus dissemination and relative virulence of the PRV strains. A total of 245 out of 8,799 probe sets, corresponding to 182 unique cellular genes, displayed increased expression ranging from 2- to more than 100-fold higher than in uninfected tissue. Over 60% thereof were categorized as immune, proinflammatory, and other cellular defense genes. Additionally, a large fraction of infection-induced transcripts represented cellular stress responses, including glucocorticoid- and redox-related pathways. This is the first comprehensive in vivo analysis of the global transcriptional response of the mammalian CNS to acute alphaherpesvirus infection. The differentially regulated genes reported here are likely to include potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for viral encephalitides and other neurodegenerative or neuroinflammatory diseases.

Molecular biology of pseudorabies virus: impact on neurovirology and veterinary medicine

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is a herpesvirus of swine, a member of the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily, and the etiological agent of Aujeszky's disease. This review describes the contributions of PRV research to herpesvirus biology, neurobiology, and viral pathogenesis by focusing on (i) the molecular biology of PRV, (ii) model systems to study PRV pathogenesis and neurovirulence, (iii) PRV transsynaptic tracing of neuronal circuits, and (iv) veterinary aspects of pseudorabies disease. The structure of the enveloped infectious particle, the content of the viral DNA genome, and a step-by-step overview of the viral replication cycle are presented. PRV infection is initiated by binding to cellular receptors to allow penetration into the cell. After reaching the nucleus, the viral genome directs a regulated gene expression cascade that culminates with viral DNA replication and production of new virion constituents. Finally, progeny virions self-assemble and exit the host cells. Animal models and neuronal culture systems developed for the study of PRV pathogenesis and neurovirulence are discussed. PRV serves asa self-perpetuating transsynaptic tracer of neuronal circuitry, and we detail the original studies of PRV circuitry mapping, the biology underlying this application, and the development of the next generation of tracer viruses. The basic veterinary aspects of pseudorabies management and disease in swine are discussed. PRV infection progresses from acute infection of the respiratory epithelium to latent infection in the peripheral nervous system. Sporadic reactivation from latency can transmit PRV to new hosts. The successful management of PRV disease has relied on vaccination, prevention, and testing.

Protective immunity induced by a recombinant pseudorabies virus expressing the GP5 of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in piglets

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) has been developed as a vaccine vector for expressing foreign immunogens. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), caused by porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), continues to be a major problem to the pork industry worldwide. Many vaccine strategies have been developed to control the disease but most of them turn out to be unsuccessful. The objective of this research was to explore the feasibility of PRV-based vector vaccine in protection against PRRSV. A live attenuated vaccine-based PRV recombinant expressing the envelope protein GP5 of PRRSV was generated using recombinant DNA techniques. The Bartha-K61-derived recombinant virus, named rPRV-GP5, was shown to express PRRSV GP5 efficiently. Sixteen healthy piglets were assigned to one of four groups (one to four, four pigs per group). Animals in Groups 1 and 2 were each inoculated intramuscularly and intranasally with 10(7.0) PFU of rPRV-GP5 and its parent Bartha-K61, respectively; Group 3 were vaccinated intramuscularly with one-dose of PRRS inactivated vaccine; Group 4 was served as non-vaccinated control. One month later, all animals were all challenged with 10(6.5) TCID(50) of virulent PRRSV CH-1a. All animals in Groups 1 and 3 remained clinically healthy before and after challenge, with only a short period of fever (no more than 41 degrees C and 3 days), mild and gradually improving lung and kidney lesions, and short-term viremia (2 and 3 week, respectively) in spite of no detectable anti-PRRSV antibody before challenge. On the other hand, all animals in the other two groups showed evident clinical signs with higher temperatures (more than 41 degrees C) after challenge, and severe lung, kidney and spleen lesions and extended viremia (4 weeks). The results indicate that the rPRV-GP5 is safe for vaccinates and able to confer significant protection against clinical disease and reduce pathogenic lesions induced by PRRSV challenge in vaccinated pigs.

Insertions in the gG gene of pseudorabies virus reduce expression of the upstream Us3 protein and inhibit cell-to-cell spread of virus infection

The alphaherpesvirus Us4 gene encodes glycoprotein G (gG), which is conserved in most viruses of the alphaherpesvirus subfamily. In the swine pathogen pseudorabies virus (PRV), mutant viruses with internal deletions and insertions in the gG gene have shown no discernible phenotypes. We report that insertions in the gG locus of the attenuated PRV strain Bartha show reduced virulence in vivo and are defective in their ability to spread from cell to cell in a cell-type-specific manner. Similar insertions in the gG locus of the wild-type PRV strain Becker had no effect on the ability of virus infection to spread between cells. Insertions in the gG locus of the virulent NIA-3 strain gave results similar to those found with the Bartha strain. To examine the role of gG in cell-to-cell spread, a nonsense mutation in the gG signal sequence was constructed and crossed into the Bartha strain. This mutant, PRV157, failed to express gG yet had cell-to-cell spread properties indistinguishable from those of the parental Bartha strain. These data indicated that, while insertions in the gG locus result in decreased cell-to-cell spread, the phenotype was not due to loss of gG expression as first predicted. Analysis of gene expression upstream and downstream of gG revealed that expression of the upstream Us3 protein is reduced by insertion of lacZ or egfp at the gG locus. By contrast, expression of the gene immediately downstream of gG, Us6, which encodes glycoprotein gD, was not affected by insertions in gG. These data indicate that DNA insertions in gG have polar effects and suggest that the serine/threonine kinase encoded by the Us3 gene, and not gG, functions in the spread of viral infection between cells.

The infrequency of transmission of herpesviruses between humans and animals; postulation of an unrecognised protective host mechanism

The infrequency of natural transmission of herpesviruses between humans and animals is surprising as there is extensive contact between humans and non-human species with unequivocal evidence that host cells from non-susceptible species will support replication of herpesviruses which do not seem to naturally infect that species. This review examines natural cross-infections between human and other species and suggests that, firstly, it is possible that humans and animals do become asymptomatically or symptomatically cross-infected from other species, but the infection is not diagnosed or not diagnosable by conventional methods; secondly, an as yet unidentified novel mechanism(s) may operate to prevent infection using chemical, electrical or as yet unidentified pathways and may even be 'switched on' by exposure to the virus.

Vaccine genotype and route of administration affect pseudorabies field virus latency load after challenge

The influence of vaccine genotype and route of administration on the efficacy of pseudorabies virus (PRV) vaccines against virulent PRV challenge was evaluated in a controlled experiment using five genotypically distinct modified live vaccines (MLVs) for PRV. Several of these MLVs share deletions in specific genes, however, each has its deletion in a different locus within that gene. Pigs were vaccinated with each vaccine, either via the intramuscular or intranasal route, and subsequently challenged with a highly virulent PRV field strain. During a 2-week period following challenge with virulent PRV, each of the vaccine strains used in this study was evaluated for its effectiveness in the reduction of clinical signs, prevention of growth retardation and virulent virus shedding. One month after challenge, tissues were collected and analyzed for virulent PRV latency load by a recently developed method for the electrochemiluminescent quantitation of latent herpesvirus DNA in animal tissues after PCR amplification. It was determined that all vaccination protocols provided protection against clinical signs resulting from field virus challenge and reduced both field virus shedding and latency load after field virus challenge. Our results indicated that vaccine efficacy was significantly influenced by the modified live vaccine strain and route of administration. Compared to unvaccinated pigs, vaccination reduced field virus latency load in trigeminal ganglia, but significant differences were found between vaccines and routes of administration. We conclude that vaccine genotype plays a role in the effectiveness of PRV MLVs.

Discrete cleavage patterns of pseudorabies virus immediate early protein (IE180) seen in some cell lines upon extraction after cycloheximide reversal

Pseudorabies virus (PrV) encodes for a single and essential immediate early phosphoprotein designated IE180. In this study, IE180 was examined in lysates from various cell lines infected at high multiplicities under cycloheximide inhibition of protein synthesis and subsequent reversal. Three distinct protein patterns of IE180 which were cell-specific and dependant on the extraction procedure were revealed. Detergent lysates of PrV infected MDBK cells yielded almost exclusively wild type IE molecule (180 kDa). In contrast, SSG/94 cells, VERO or CV-1 cells did not yield 180 kDa molecules but predominantly a shorter variant of approximately 60 kDa in molecular mass. Additional bands of about 50/55 kDa were also detected in lysates of SSG/94 and VERO cells by immunoprecipitation. Lysates of CV-1 and MDBK cells also yielded a 120 kDa molecule. The smaller molecular mass bands occurred in the presence of PMSF and aprotinin however, cleavage was blocked completely by addition of N alpha-p-Tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone (TLCK) into the lysis buffer. Moreover, an ability of the shorter IE180 variants to bind heparin was also revealed in the study. These data provide useful insights on protease profiles encountered among different PrV susceptible cells and indicates the use of appropriate protease inhibitors such as TLCK to protect IE180 under these experimental conditions.

Pseudorabies virus infectivity for swine skin characterized in vitro

The infectivity of pseudorabies virus (PrV) was demonstrated in a cell substrate derived from swine skin explant cultures designated primary porcine skin cells (c/cSLA PPSC). c/cSLA PPSC infected with either wild type or TK- PrV strain Kaplan (Ka) developed typical cytopathologic changes (CPE) as early as 4 h post inoculation (p.i.). The CPE caused by PrV on c/cSLA PPSC was specifically neutralized by covalescent swine sera. Synthesis of late viral proteins was demonstrated in PrV-infected c/cSLA PPSC by indirect fluorescent antibody staining using monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific for PrV gIII. PrV induced protein synthesis was further confirmed by specific immunoprecipitation of 35S-methionine labeled viral polypeptides from PrV-infected c/cSLA PPSC with PrV convalescent swine serum, PrV immune mouse serum or mAb to PrV gIII. Moreover, the virus progeny derived from c/cSLA PPSC was shown to be infectious for MDBK cells and this infection was specifically neutralized by PrV convalescent swine serum. The capacity c/cSLA PPSC to support a complete growth cycle of PrV and the relative ease of deriving these cells from pigs can be applied in an autologous fashion in studies of cellular immunity where the MHC needs to be matched.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of a thymidine kinase, inverted repeat, gI, and gpX gene-deleted pseudorabies vaccine

A thymidine kinase (TK), inverted repeat, glycoprotein I (gI) and glycoprotein X (gpX) gene-deleted modified live virus pseudorabies vaccine was evaluated for safety in swine and for efficacy in protecting swine against challenge with pseudorabies virus (PRV). Safety was evaluated by inoculating pregnant gilts intravenously and 3-day-old pigs intracerebrally with the vaccine. Efficacy was evaluated by 1) vaccinating 3-day-old pigs with a minimal protective dose intranasally and then challenging with PRV 3 weeks postvaccination or 2) vaccinating weaned pigs with a standard field dose intramuscularly and then challenging with PRV 4 weeks postvaccination. The pigs vaccinated intranasally remained clinically normal following vaccination and challenge with PRV. The pigs vaccinated intramuscularly remained clinically normal following vaccination, but mild respiratory signs were seen in some of the vaccinated pigs following challenge with PRV. Humoral immune response was evaluated with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and a serum virus neutralization test. All of the intramuscularly vaccinated pigs became gI and gpX positive on differential ELISAs following challenge. All of the intranasally vaccinated pigs were seropositive on the indirect gI ELISA following challenge, but not all of the pigs were seropositive on the blocking gI ELISA or the gpX ELISA 3 weeks postchallenge.

Characterization of field isolates of suid herpesvirus 1 (Aujeszky's disease virus) as derivatives of attenuated vaccine strains

Field isolates of suid herpesvirus 1 (Aujeszky's disease virus) from Poland and Hungary were identified by restriction fragment pattern analysis as derivatives of attenuated vaccine strains. The Polish isolates were found to be related to the BUK-TK-900 strain (Suivac A) which is widely used as a live vaccine in Poland, and the Hungarian isolates were related to the Bartha K-61 vaccine strain widely used in Hungary. Pigs experimentally infected with derivatives of BUK-TK-900 or BUK-TK-900 itself were found to develop gI-antibodies, while pigs infected with derivatives of Bartha K-61 showed a gI-negative response.

Glycoprotein gI of pseudorabies virus promotes cell fusion and virus spread via direct cell-to-cell transmission

Mutants of pseudorabies virus defective in either glycoprotein gI or gIII are only slightly less virulent for mice and chickens than is wild-type virus, while mutants defective in both gI and gIII are avirulent. To clarify the reason for the lack of virulence of the gI- gIII- mutants, we have analyzed in some detail the interactions of these mutants with their hosts. The results obtained showed that the gI glycoprotein is an accessory protein that promotes cell fusion. This conclusion is based on the findings that in some cell types, syncytium formation is significantly reduced in mutants deficient in gI. Furthermore, despite efficient replication, gI- mutants form significantly smaller plaques on some cell types. Finally, while wild-type and gI- virus are neutralized similarly by antisera, the size of the plaques formed by gI- mutants, but not by wild-type virus, is reduced by the presence of neutralizing antibodies in the overlay. Passive immunization of mice with neutralizing antipseudorabies virus sera is also considerably more effective in protecting them against challenge with gI- mutants than in protecting them against challenge with wild-type virus. These results show that gI- mutants are deficient in their ability to form syncytia and to spread directly by cell-to-cell transmission and that these mutants spread mainly by adsorption of released virus to uninfected cells. Wild-type virus and gIII- mutants, however, spread mainly via direct cell-to-cell transmission both in vivo and in vitro. We postulate that the lack of virulence of the gIII- gI- virus is attributable to its inability to spread by either mode, the defect in gIII affecting virus spread by adsorption of released virus and the defect in gI affecting cell-to-cell spread. Although a gI- gIII- mutant replicates as well as a gIII- mutant, it will be amplified much less well. Our results with in vitro systems show that this is indeed the case.

Acquisition of an additional internal cleavage site differentially affects the ability of pseudorabies virus to multiply in different host cells

The translocation of the 325 leftmost bp of the genome of pseudorabies virus (PrV) to the internal junction between the L and S components confers upon the virus a growth advantage relative to wild-type PrV in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEFs) and chickens and a growth disadvantage in rabbit kidney (RK) cells and mice. To clarify the molecular basis for the species-specific growth characteristics of the translocation mutants, we have compared several parameters of the virus growth cycle in CEFs and RK cells infected with wild-type PrV and with translocation mutants. The salient findings are as follows. (i) The synthesis of early-late and late proteins is not as effective in CEFs as it is in RK cells, and these proteins, in particular, the major capsid proteins, accumulate less abundantly in CEFs than in RK cells. (ii) Cleavage of concatemeric DNA to genome-size molecules is also not as effective in CEFs as it is in RK cells. (iii) The internal junction present in translocation mutants is a functional cleavage site. (iv) In RK cells, translocation mutants are hypercleaved and a significant proportion of the total viral DNA is cleaved into subgenomic fragments. (v) In CEFs infected with translocation mutants, subgenomic fragments also accumulate but most of the viral DNA remains in concatemeric form. A model which postulates that the cell-specific growth advantage or disadvantage of the translocation mutants is related to the presence of a second cleavage site within their genomes and is affected by the efficiency of cleavage of concatemeric DNA in particular infected cell types is presented. The significance of these findings as they relate to the evolution of herpesviruses with class 2- and class 3-like genomes is discussed.

Molecular biology of pseudorabies (Aujeszky's disease) virus

In this review, some of the aspects concerning the molecular biology of pseudorabies virus (PrV), the causative agent of Aujeszky's disease, will be discussed. It will mainly focus on new findings concerning viral glycoproteins, factors determining PrV virulence, the problem of PrV latency and the development regarding genetically engineered vaccines.

Linker insertion mutagenesis of herpesviruses: inactivation of single genes within the Us region of pseudorabies virus

We describe a technique for the systematic inactivation of nonessential genes within the genome of a herpesvirus without the requirement for phenotypic selection. This technique is based on the insertion of an oligonucleotide containing translational stop codons at a random site within a large cloned viral DNA fragment. Mutant virus is then reconstituted by cotransfection with overlapping viral clones, together comprising the entire viral genome, as described previously (M. van Zijl, W. Quint, J. Briaire, T. de Rover, A. Gielkens, and A. Berns, J. Virol. 62:2191-2195, 1988). This technique was used to construct, in a single experiment, a set of 13 viable pseudorabies virus strains with oligonucleotide insertions within all known genes of the Us region except for the gp50 gene, which proved essential for virus growth in cell culture. The growth rate in porcine kidney cells of mutants of all nonessential Us genes was similar to that of the parental virus, with the exception of a mutant of the recently identified protein kinase gene.

Restriction fragment pattern analysis of genomes from French isolates of suis herpes virus 1 (Aujeszky's disease virus)

Purified DNA from 45 isolates of suis herpes virus 1 (SHV1) collected between 1980 and 1987 from clinical outbreaks of Aujeszky's disease on French farms was compared by restriction fragment pattern (RFP) analysis. The BamHI generated RFPs were found to be distinguishable, confirming RFP analysis as a potential epidemiological tool. The RFP could be assigned to two established major electrophoretic types and different subtypes. The RFP analysis indicated that the majority of outbreaks were caused by ADV with a central European genome type. The heterogeneity of RFPs among PRV isolates recovered from the central nervous system, lung, and foetus was not restricted specifically to one clinical entity. Variations in the virulence of the 45 isolates studied in mice, chicks, or piglets were unrelated to the RFP subtypes. One unusual RFP has been described for one strain of low virulence.

Antibodies to Aujeszky's disease virus in pigs immunized with purified virus glycoproteins

Antibodies to Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) glycoproteins gII, gIII, and gp50 were compared using four in vitro tests. Antibodies generated by vaccination with a modified-live vaccine (MLV) were also compared. The serological assays employed were: serum neutralization test (SNT), complement facilitated serum neutralization test (C'SNT), complement-mediated cytolysis and antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Pigs were immunized with single glycoproteins twice 14 days apart, or once with the modified-live vaccine. Fourteen days after the second immunization, sera were collected. Virus neutralizing activity (SNT) was demonstrated in the sera from all pigs immunized with gp50 and in one out of three immunized with gIII. Sera from the MLV group all had neutralization titers higher than animals immunized with single glycoproteins. Addition of guinea pig complement to the serum neutralization test (i.e., C'SNT) produced an enhancement of antibody titers in all groups except the pigs immunized with gIII. The complement-mediated cytolysis test rendered antibody titers similar in magnitude for all pigs immunized with single glycoproteins, but slightly lower than values for MLV vaccinated pigs. ADCC activity was clearly displayed in sera from pigs immunized with gIII or vaccinated with MLV, whereas sera from pigs immunized with gII or gp50 had a minimal response. The results indicate that the relative efficiency of antibodies against ADV glycoproteins in protection should be considered for selecting or producing gene-deleted strains for use in vaccine production.

Marker vaccines, virus protein-specific antibody assays and the control of Aujeszky's disease

Vaccination of pigs is widely practised to control Aujeszky's disease (AD). Molecular biological research revealed that several conventionally attenuated virus vaccines harbour deletions in their genomes. The deleted genes are nonessential for virus replication and can be involved in the expression of virulence. These findings have prompted several groups to construct well-characterized deletion mutants of AD virus that do not express either glycoprotein gI, gX or gIII. These mutants have also been rendered thymidine kinase negative. Although data on vaccine efficacy and safety have been published, widely varying test conditions have made it impossible to identify the most efficacious deletion mutant vaccine(s). Vaccination enhances the amount of virus required for infection and reduces, but does not prevent, the shedding of virulent virus and the establishment of latency in pigs infected with virulent AD virus. Therefore, while a vaccination programme will reduce the circulation of virus in the field, it will not eliminate AD virus from pig populations. To eradicate AD, the ability to differentiate infected from vaccinated pigs is crucial. The use of marker vaccines enables us to identify infected pigs in vaccinated populations by detecting antibodies against the protein whose gene is deleted from vaccine strains. The antibody response to gI appears to persist for more than 2 years, and all of about 300 field strains tested so far express gI. The use of vaccines lacking gI in combination with an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay to detect antibodies to gI and culling of gI-seropositive pigs, may help to eradicate AD in countries where vaccination is widely practised.

Recombination in vivo of pseudorabies vaccine strains to produce new virus strains

Herpesvirus suis (pseudorabies virus, PRV) has been the focus of intensive genetic engineering efforts and several effective genetically recombinant modified live virus PRV vaccines have resulted. The likelihood and consequences of complementation and/or genetic recombination in vivo between genetically engineered and conventionally derived vaccine strains of PRV are essentially unknown. In this study, two vaccine strains of PRV with complementary gene deletions were co-inoculated into sheep. It reports that avirulent vaccine strains of PRV (genetically engineered and conventionally attenuated) recombined in vivo, resulting in the production of a new and undesirable strain of PRV. The present study exemplifies the need for thorough assessment of genetically engineered micro-organisms in the animal environment.

Genetic and biochemical characterization of the thymidine kinase gene from herpesvirus of turkeys

The thymidine kinase gene encoded by herpesvirus of turkeys has been identified and characterized. A viral mutant (ATR0) resistant to 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylthymine was isolated. This mutant was also resistant to 1-(2-fluoro-2-deoxy-beta-D-arabinofuronosyl)-5-methyluracil and was unable to incorporate [125I]deoxycytidine into DNA. The mutant phenotype was rescued by a cloned region of the turkey herpesvirus genome whose DNA sequence was found to contain an open reading frame similar to that for known thymidine kinases from other viruses. When expressed in Escherichia coli, this open reading frame complemented a thymidine kinase-deficient strain and resulted in thymidine kinase activity in extracts assayed in vitro.

Nucleotide sequences at recombinational junctions present in pseudorabies virus variants with an invertible L component

The genome of pseudorabies virus (PrV) consists of two components--a noninvertible long (L) and an invertible short (S) component. The S component is bracketed by inverted repeats. In some variant strains of PrV (which have a selective growth advantage in certain cell lines), a sequence normally present at the left end of the L component has been translocated to the right end of the L component next to the inverted repeat. Consequently, these strains have acquired a genome with an L component that is bracketed by inverted repeats and that also inverts. We have determined the restriction maps and have analyzed the nucleotide sequences of those parts of the genome of three strains with invertible L components that contain the translocated segment of DNA. The results were as follows. The translocated fragments were derived in all cases from the extreme left end of the L component only. The sizes of the translocated fragments were similar, ranging from 1.3 to 1.4 kilobase pairs. The junction between the L and S components in these strains was the same as that in standard viral concatemeric DNA. The translocation of sequences from the left end of the genome next to the inverted repeats was always accompanied by a deletion of sequences from the right end of the L component. The sizes of the deleted fragments varied considerably, ranging from 0.8 to 2.3 kilobase pairs. Sequence homology at the points of recombination, i.e., at the junction between the right end and the left end of the L component, existed sometimes but not always. A model depicting how a virus with a class 2 genome (such as PrV) may acquire a genome with characteristics of a class 3 genome (such as herpes simplex virus) is presented.

Quantitation of putative glycoprotein X in bioengineered pseudorabies vaccine virus culture medium by ELISA

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay has been developed for the detection and quantitation of putative pseudorabies glycoprotein X (gX) in bulk bioengineered PRV delta gX delta tk-1 pseudorabies vaccine virus culture medium supernatants. The assay has a dynamic range of 0.2-25 ng, with a best linear region of 0.4-12.5 ng (correlation coefficient = 0.99) which permits 1 ppm discrimination for gX.

Role of glycoprotein gIII of pseudorabies virus in virulence

Deletion mutants of pseudorabies virus unable to express glycoprotein gIII, gI, or gp63 or double and triple mutants defective in these glycoproteins were constructed, and their virulence for day-old chickens inoculated intracerebrally was determined. Mutants of wild-type pseudorabies virus defective in glycoprotein gIII, gI, or gp63 were only slightly less virulent (at most, fivefold) for chickens than was the wild-type virus. However, mutants defective in both gIII and gI or gIII and gp63 were avirulent for chickens, despite their ability to grow in cell culture in vitro to about the same extent as mutants defective in gIII alone (which were virulent). These results show that gIII plays a role in virulence and does so in conjunction with gI or gp63. The effect of gIII on virulence was also shown when the resident gIII gene of variants of the Bartha vaccine strain (which codes for gIIIB) was replaced with a gIII gene derived from a virulent wild-type strain (which codes for gIIIKa); gIIIKa significantly enhanced the virulence of a variant of the Bartha strain to which partial virulence had been previously restored by marker rescue. Our results show that viral functions that play a role in the virulence of the virus (as measured by intracerebral inoculation of chickens) may act synergistically to affect the expression of virulence and that the ability of the virus to grow in cell culture is not necessarily correlated with virulence.