A simple and rapid approach to develop recombinant avian herpesvirus vectored vaccines using CRISPR/Cas9 system

CRISPR/Cas Technology: The Unique Synthetic Biology Genome-Editing Tool Shifting the Paradigm in Viral Diagnostics, Defense, and Therapeutics

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has starkly exposed our significantly limited ability to promptly identify and respond to emergent biological threats. Consequently, there is an urgent need to advance biotechnological methods for addressing both known and unforeseen biological hazards. Recently, the CRISPR/Cas system has revolutionized genetic engineering, enabling precise and efficient synthetic biology applications. Therefore, this review aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental principles underlying the CRISPR/Cas system and assess the advantages and limitations of various CRISPR/Cas-based techniques applicable to the detection of, defense against, and treatment of viral infections. These techniques include viral diagnostics, the development of antiviral vaccines, B cell engineering for antibody production, viral activation/interference, and epigenetic modifications. Furthermore, this review delves into the challenges and bioethical considerations associated with use of the CRISPR/Cas system. With the continuous evolution of technology, the CRISPR/Cas system holds considerable promise for addressing both existing and unforeseen biological threats.

Precision in Action: The Role of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats/Cas in Gene Therapies

Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR)-associated enzyme-CAS holds great promise for treating many uncured human diseases and illnesses by precisely correcting harmful point mutations and disrupting disease-causing genes. The recent Food and Drug Association (FDA) approval of the first CRISPR-based gene therapy for sickle cell anemia marks the beginning of a new era in gene editing. However, delivering CRISPR specifically into diseased cells in vivo is a significant challenge and an area of intense research. The identification of new CRISPR/Cas variants, particularly ultra-compact CAS systems with robust gene editing activities, paves the way for the low-capacity delivery vectors to be used in gene therapies. CRISPR/Cas technology has evolved beyond editing DNA to cover a wide spectrum of functionalities, including RNA targeting, disease diagnosis, transcriptional/epigenetic regulation, chromatin imaging, high-throughput screening, and new disease modeling. CRISPR/Cas can be used to engineer B-cells to produce potent antibodies for more effective vaccines and enhance CAR T-cells for the more precise and efficient targeting of tumor cells. However, CRISPR/Cas technology has challenges, including off-target effects, toxicity, immune responses, and inadequate tissue-specific delivery. Overcoming these challenges necessitates the development of a more effective and specific CRISPR/Cas delivery system. This entails strategically utilizing specific gRNAs in conjunction with robust CRISPR/Cas variants to mitigate off-target effects. This review seeks to delve into the intricacies of the CRISPR/Cas mechanism, explore progress in gene therapies, evaluate gene delivery systems, highlight limitations, outline necessary precautions, and scrutinize the ethical considerations associated with its application.

Current Status of Poultry Recombinant Virus Vector Vaccine Development

Inactivated and live attenuated vaccines are the mainstays of preventing viral poultry diseases. However, the development of recombinant DNA technology in recent years has enabled the generation of recombinant virus vector vaccines, which have the advantages of preventing multiple diseases simultaneously and simplifying the vaccination schedule. More importantly, some can induce a protective immune response in the presence of maternal antibodies and offer long-term immune protection. These advantages compensate for the shortcomings of traditional vaccines. This review describes the construction and characterization of primarily poultry vaccine vectors, including fowl poxvirus (FPV), fowl adenovirus (FAdV), Newcastle disease virus (NDV), Marek's disease virus (MDV), and herpesvirus of turkey (HVT). In addition, the pathogens targeted and the immunoprotective effect of different poultry recombinant virus vector vaccines are also presented. Finally, this review discusses the challenges in developing vector vaccines and proposes strategies for improving immune efficacy.

Genome editing and its role in vaccine, diagnosis, and therapeutic advancement

Genome editing involves precise modification of specific nucleotides in the genome using nucleases like CRISPR/Cas, ZFN, or TALEN, leading to increased efficiency of homologous recombination (HR) for gene editing, and it can result in gene disruption events via non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) or homology-driven repair (HDR). Genome editing, particularly CRISPR-Cas9, revolutionizes vaccine development by enabling precise modifications of pathogen genomes, leading to enhanced vaccine efficacy and safety. It allows for tailored antigen optimization, improved vector design, and deeper insights into host genes' impact on vaccine responses, ultimately enhancing vaccine development and manufacturing processes. This review highlights different types of genome editing methods, their associated risks, approaches to overcome the shortcomings, and the diverse roles of genome editing.

Simultaneous construction strategy using two types of fluorescent markers for HVT vector vaccine against infectious bursal disease and H9N2 avian influenza virus by NHEJ-CRISPR/Cas9

Recently, herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT), which was initially employed as a vaccine against Marek's disease (MD), has been shown to be a highly effective viral vector for producing recombinant vaccines that can simultaneously express the protective antigens of multiple poultry diseases. Prior to the development of commercial HVT-vectored dual-insert vaccines, the majority of HVT-vectored vaccines in use only contained a single foreign gene and were often generated using time-consuming and inefficient traditional recombination methods. The development of multivalent HVT-vectored vaccines that induce simultaneous protection against several avian diseases is of great value. In particular, efficacy interference between individual recombinant HVT vaccines can be avoided. Herein, we demonstrated the use of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology for the insertion of an IBDV (G2d) VP2 expression cassette into the UL45/46 region of the recombinant rHVT-HA viral genome to generate the dual insert rHVT-VP2-HA recombinant vaccine. The efficacy of this recombinant virus was also evaluated in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. PCR and sequencing results showed that the recombinant virus rHVT-VP2-HA was successfully constructed. Vaccination with rHVT-VP2-HA produced high levels of specific antibodies against IBDV (G2d) and H9N2/Y280. rHVT-VP2-HA can provide 100% protection against challenges with IBDV (G2d) and H9N2/Y280. These results demonstrate that rHVT-VP2-HA is a safe and highly efficacious vaccine for the simultaneous control of IBDV (G2d) and H9N2/Y280.

Evaluation of bird-adapted self-amplifying mRNA vaccine formulations in chickens

Each year, millions of poultry succumb to highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus (AIV) and infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) infections. Conventional vaccines based on inactivated or live-attenuated viruses are useful tools for disease prevention and control, yet, they often fall short in terms of safety, efficacy, and development times. Therefore, versatile vaccine platforms are crucial to protect poultry from emerging viral pathogens. Self-amplifying (replicon) RNA vaccines offer a well-defined and scalable option for the protection of both animals and humans. The best-studied replicon platform, based on the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV; family Togaviridae) TC-83 vaccine strain, however, displays limited efficacy in poultry, warranting the exploration of alternative, avian-adapted, replicon platforms. In this study, we engineered two Tembusu virus (TMUV; family Flaviviridae) replicons encoding varying capsid gene lengths and compared these to the benchmark VEEV replicon in vitro. The TMUV replicon system exhibited a robust and prolonged transgene expression compared to the VEEV replicon system in both avian and mammalian cells. Moreover, the TMUV replicon induced a lesser cytopathic effect compared to the VEEV replicon RNA in vitro. DNA-launched versions of the TMUV and VEEV replicons (DREP) were also developed. The replicons successfully expressed the AIV haemagglutinin (HA) glycoproteins and the IBDV capsid protein (pVP2). To assess the immune responses elicited by the TMUV replicon system in chickens, a prime-boost vaccination trial was conducted using lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-formulated replicon RNA and DREP encoding the viral (glyco)proteins of AIV or IBDV. Both TMUV and VEEV replicon RNAs were unable to induce a humoral response against AIV. However, TMUV replicon RNA induced IBDV-specific seroconversion in vaccinated chickens, in contrast to VEEV replicon RNA, which showed no significant humoral response. In both AIV and IBDV immunization studies, VEEV DREP generated the highest (neutralizing) antibody responses, which underscores the potential for self-amplifying mRNA vaccine technology to combat emerging poultry diseases.

HVT-vectored H7 vaccine protects chickens from lethal infection with the highly pathogenic H7N9 Avian influenza virus

Since mid-2016, the highly pathogenic H7N9 subtype avian influenza virus (AIV) has threatened both public health and the poultry industry. Although a vaccination strategy has been deemed imperative to manage the virus, the most commonly used inactivated vaccines today are susceptible to interference from maternal antibodies and associated with an over-reliance on humoral immunity. In response, we developed a recombination vaccine with the herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) as the vector to squeeze HPAI H7N9 and assessed its protective efficiency in immunized chickens. By inserting an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) expression cassette (i.e., MCMV+EGFP+SV40 polyA) into the HVT065 and HVT066 positions, we obtained the recombinant HVT expressing EGFP (i.e., rHVT-EGFP). Electroporation and EGFP tags improved the efficiency of transfection compared with transfection using expression plasmids without any fluorescent labeling and traditional liposomes. Using limiting dilution analysis and ultrasonic cell disruption techniques, we screened and purified a cell-bound herpes virus based on rHVT-EGFP and consequently constructed a recombinant HVT expressing the hemagglutinin (HA) of H7N9 (i.e., rHVT-H7HA), which was able to proliferate similarly to the parental strain, stably pass for at least 15 generations in vitro, and replicate stably in multiple organs in vivo. After chickens were immunized with rHVT-H7HA, the average antibody titers reached up to 3 log2 at 35 d post-vaccination and remained stable. Those results suggest that rHVT-H7HA can protect chickens against H7N9 with a dose-independent immune protection rate of 90% and significantly reduce the lung virus titer 4 d post-challenge.

Efficiency of NHEJ-CRISPR/Cas9 and Cre-LoxP Engineered Recombinant Turkey Herpesvirus Expressing Pasteurella multocida OmpH Protein for Fowl Cholera Prevention in Ducks

Fowl cholera is caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida, a highly transmissible avian ailment with significant global implications, leading to substantial economic repercussions. The control of fowl cholera outbreaks primarily relies on vaccination using traditional vaccines that are still in use today despite their many limitations. In this research, we describe the development of a genetically engineered herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) that carries the OmpH gene from P. multocida integrated into UL 45/46 intergenic region using CRISPR/Cas9-NHEJ and Cre-Lox system editing. The integration and expression of the foreign cassettes were confirmed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), indirect immunofluorescence assays, and Western blot assays. The novel recombinant virus (rHVT-OmpH) demonstrated stable integration of the OmpH gene even after 15 consecutive in vitro passages, along with similar in vitro growth kinetics as the parent HVT virus. The protective efficacy of the rHVT-OmpH vaccine was evaluated in vaccinated ducks by examining the levels of P. multocida OmpH-specific antibodies in serum samples using ELISA. Groups of ducks that received the rHVT-OmpH vaccine or the rOmpH protein with Montanide™ (SEPPIC, Paris, France) adjuvant exhibited high levels of antibodies, in contrast to the negative control groups that received the parental HVT or PBS. The recombinant rHVT-OmpH vaccine also provided complete protection against exposure to virulent P. multocida X-73 seven days post-vaccination. This outcome not only demonstrates that the HVT vector possesses many characteristics of an ideal recombinant viral vaccine vector for protecting non-chicken hosts, such as ducks, but also represents significant research progress in identifying a modern, effective vaccine candidate for combatting ancient infectious diseases.

Poultry Vaccine Technology Platforms

The different technology platforms used to make poultry vaccines are reviewed. Vaccines based on classical technologies are either live attenuated or inactivated vaccines. Genetic engineering is applied to design by deletion, mutation, insertion, or chimerization, genetically modified target microorganisms that are used either as live or inactivated vaccines. Other vaccine platforms are based on one or a few genes of the target pathogen agent coding for proteins that can induce a protective immune response ("protective genes"). These genes can be expressed in vitro to produce subunit vaccines. Alternatively, vectors carrying these genes in their genome or nucleic acid-based vaccines will induce protection by in vivo expression of these genes in the vaccinated host. Properties of these different types of vaccines, including advantages and limitations, are reviewed, focusing mainly on vaccines targeting viral diseases and on technologies that succeeded in market authorization.

Molecular engineering tools for the development of vaccines against infectious diseases: current status and future directions

INTRODUCTION

The escalating global changes have fostered conditions for the expansion and transmission of diverse biological factors, leading to the rise of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases. Complex viral infections, such as COVID-19, influenza, HIV, and Ebola, continue to surface, necessitating the development of effective vaccine technologies.

AREAS COVERED

This review article highlights recent advancements in molecular biology, virology, and genomics that have propelled the design and development of innovative molecular tools. These tools have promoted new vaccine research platforms and directly improved vaccine efficacy. The review summarizes the cutting-edge molecular engineering tools used in creating novel vaccines and explores the rapidly expanding molecular tools landscape and potential directions for future vaccine development.

EXPERT OPINION

The strategic application of advanced molecular engineering tools can address conventional vaccine limitations, enhance the overall efficacy of vaccine products, promote diversification in vaccine platforms, and form the foundation for future vaccine development. Prioritizing safety considerations of these novel molecular tools during vaccine development is crucial.

Reconstitution and Mutagenesis of Avian Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus from Cosmid and Yeast Centromeric Plasmid Clones

The genomes of numerous herpesviruses have been cloned as infectious bacterial artificial chromosomes. However, attempts to clone the complete genome of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), formally known as Gallid alphaherpesvirus-1, have been met with limited success. In this study, we report the development of a cosmid/yeast centromeric plasmid (YCp) genetic system to reconstitute ILTV. Overlapping cosmid clones were generated that encompassed 90% of the 151-Kb ILTV genome. Viable virus was produced by cotransfecting leghorn male hepatoma (LMH) cells with these cosmids and a YCp recombinant containing the missing genomic sequences - spanning the TRS/UL junction. An expression cassette for green fluorescent protein (GFP) was inserted within the redundant inverted packaging site (ipac2), and the cosmid/YCp-based system was used to generate recombinant replication-competent ILTV. Viable virus was also reconstituted with a YCp clone containing a BamHI linker within the deleted ipac2 site, further demonstrating the nonessential nature of this site. Recombinants deleted in the ipac2 site formed plaques undistinguished from those viruses containing intact ipac2. The 3 reconstituted viruses replicated in chicken kidney cells with growth kinetics and titers similar to the USDA ILTV reference strain. Specific pathogen-free chickens inoculated with the reconstituted ILTV recombinants succumbed to levels of clinical disease similar to that observed in birds inoculated with wildtype viruses, demonstrating the reconstituted viruses were virulent. IMPORTANCE Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) is an important pathogen of chicken with morbidity of 100% and mortality rates as high as 70%. Factoring in decreased production, mortality, vaccination, and medication, a single outbreak can cost producers over a million dollars. Current attenuated and vectored vaccines lack safety and efficacy, leaving a need for better vaccines. In addition, the lack of an infectious clone has also impeded understanding viral gene function. Since infectious bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones of ILTV with intact replication origins are not feasible, we reconstituted ILTV from a collection of yeast centromeric plasmids and bacterial cosmids, and identified a nonessential insertion site within a redundant packaging site. These constructs and the methodology necessary to manipulate them will facilitate the development of improved live virus vaccines by modifying genes encoding virulence factors and establishing ILTV-based viral vectors for expressing immunogens of other avian pathogens.

An efficient double-fluorescence approach for generating fiber-2-edited recombinant serotype 4 fowl adenovirus expressing foreign gene

Recently, the infection of serotype 4 fowl adenovirus (FAdV-4) in chicken flocks has become endemic in China, which greatly threatens the sustainable development of poultry industry. The development of recombinant FAdV-4 expressing foreign genes is an efficient strategy for controlling both FAdV-4 and other important poultry pathogens. Previous reverse genetic technique for generating the recombinant fowl adenovirus is generally inefficient. In this study, a recombinant FAdV-4 expressing enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP), FA4-EGFP, was used as a template virus and directly edited fiber-2 gene to develop an efficient double-fluorescence approach to generate recombinant FAdV-4 through CRISPR/Cas9 and Cre-Loxp system. Moreover, using this strategy, a recombinant virus FAdV4-HA(H9) stably expressing the HA gene of H9N2 influenza virus was generated. Chicken infection study revealed that the recombinant virus FAdV4-HA(H9) was attenuated, and could induce haemagglutination inhibition (HI) titer against H9N2 influenza virus at early time points and inhibit the viral replication in oropharynx. All these demonstrate that the novel strategy for constructing recombinant FAdV-4 expressing foreign genes developed here paves the way for rapidly developing attenuated FAdV-4-based recombinant vaccines for fighting the diseases caused by both FAdV-4 and other pathogens.

Efficient Cross-Screening and Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies against Marek's Disease Specific Meq Oncoprotein Using CRISPR/Cas9-Gene-Edited Viruses

Marek's disease (MD) caused by pathogenic Marek's disease virus type 1 (MDV-1) is one of the most important neoplastic diseases of poultry. MDV-1-encoded unique Meq protein is the major oncoprotein and the availability of Meq-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) is crucial for revealing MDV pathogenesis/oncogenesis. Using synthesized polypeptides from conserved hydrophilic regions of the Meq protein as immunogens, together with hybridoma technology and primary screening by cross immunofluorescence assay (IFA) on Meq-deleted MDV-1 viruses generated by CRISPR/Cas9-gene editing, a total of five positive hybridomas were generated. Four of these hybridomas, namely 2A9, 5A7, 7F9 and 8G11, were further confirmed to secrete specific antibodies against Meq as confirmed by the IFA staining of 293T cells overexpressing Meq. Confocal microscopic analysis of cells stained with these antibodies confirmed the nuclear localization of Meq in MDV-infected CEF cells and MDV-transformed MSB-1 cells. Furthermore, two mAb hybridoma clones, 2A9-B12 and 8G11-B2 derived from 2A9 and 8G11, respectively, displayed high specificity for Meq proteins of MDV-1 strains with diverse virulence. Our data presented here, using synthesized polypeptide immunization combined with cross IFA staining on CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited viruses, has provided a new efficient approach for future generation of specific mAbs against viral proteins.

CRISPR/Cas System Toward the Development of Next-Generation Recombinant Vaccines: Current Scenario and Future Prospects

The initially developed vaccines were relying mostly on attenuation and inactivation of pathogens. The use of recombinant DNA technology allows the targeting of immune responses focused against a few protective antigens. The conventional recombination methods for generating vaccines are time-consuming, laborious, and less efficient. To overcome these limitations, a new precise CRISPR/Cas9 with high efficacy, specificity, and low-cost properties has solved a lot of current problems of recombinant vaccines that intrigued the inspiration for novel recombinant vaccine development. CRISPR/Cas9 system was discovered as a bacterial adaptive immune system. In the domain of virology, CRISPR/Cas9 is used to engineer the virus genome to understand the fundamentals of viral pathogenesis, gene therapy, and virus-host interactions. One step ahead CRISPR/Cass9 bypassed the vaccine to precisely engineer the B-cells to secrete the specific antibodies against deadly viral pathogens. There is a critical literature review gap especially in the use of CRISPR/Cas9 to generate recombinant vaccines against viral diseases and its prospective application to engineering the B-cells in immunocompromised people. This review heights the application of CRISPR/Cas9 compared to conventional approaches for the development of recombinant vaccine vectors, editing the genes of B-cells, and challenges that need to be overcome. The factors affecting CRISPR/Cas9-edited recombinant vaccines and prospects in the context of viral genome editing for the development of vaccines will be discussed.

Fully Attenuated meq and pp38 Double Gene Deletion Mutant Virus Confers Superior Immunological Protection against Highly Virulent Marek's Disease Virus Infection

Marek's disease virus (MDV) induces immunosuppression and neoplastic disease in chickens. The virus is controllable via an attenuated meq deletion mutant virus, which has the disadvantage of retaining the ability to induce lymphoid organ atrophy. To overcome this deficiency and produce more vaccine candidates, a recombinant MDV was generated from the highly virulent Md5BAC strain, in which both meq and a cytolytic replication-related gene, pp38, were deleted. Replication of the double deletion virus, Md5BAC ΔmeqΔpp38, was comparable with that of the parental virus in vitro. The double deletion virus was shown to be fully attenuated and to reduce lymphoid organ atrophy in vivo. Crucially, Md5BAC ΔmeqΔpp38 confers superior protection against highly virulent virus compared with a commercial vaccine strain, CVI988/Rispens. Transcriptomic profiling indicated that Md5BAC ΔmeqΔpp38 induced a different host immune response from CVI988/Rispens. In summary, a novel, effective, and safe vaccine candidate for prevention and control of MD caused by highly virulent MDV is reported. IMPORTANCE MDV is a highly contagious immunosuppressive and neoplastic pathogen. The virus can be controlled through vaccination via an attenuated meq deletion mutant virus that retains the ability to induce lymphoid organ atrophy. In this study, we overcame the deficiency by generating meq and pp38 double deletion mutant virus. Indeed, the successfully generated meq and pp38 double deletion mutant virus had significantly reduced replication capacity in vivo but not in vitro. It was fully attenuated and conferred superior protection efficacy against very virulent MDV challenge. In addition, the possible immunological protective mechanism of the double deletion mutant virus was shown to be different from that of the gold standard MDV vaccine, CVI988/Rispens. Overall, we successfully generated an attenuated meq deletion mutant virus and widened the range of potential vaccine candidates. Importantly, this study provides for the first time the theoretical basis of vaccination induced by fully attenuated gene-deletion mutant virus.

Current situation and future direction of Newcastle disease vaccines

Newcastle disease (ND) is one of the most economically devastating infectious diseases affecting the poultry industry. Virulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV) can cause high mortality and severe tissue lesions in the respiratory, gastrointestinal, neurological, reproductive and immune systems of poultry. Tremendous progress has been made in preventing morbidity and mortality caused by ND based on strict biosecurity and wide vaccine application. In recent decades, the continual evolution of NDV has resulted in a total of twenty genotypes, and genetic variation may be associated with disease outbreaks in vaccinated chickens. In some countries, the administration of genotype-matched novel vaccines in poultry successfully suppresses the circulation of virulent NDV strains in the field. However, virulent NDV is still endemic in many regions of the world, especially in low- and middle-income countries, impacting the livelihood of millions of people dependent on poultry for food. In ND-endemic countries, although vaccination is implemented for disease control, the lack of genotype-matched vaccines that can reduce virus infection and transmission as well as the inadequate administration of vaccines in the field undermines the effectiveness of vaccination. Dissection of the profiles of existing ND vaccines is fundamental for establishing proper vaccination regimes and developing next-generation vaccines. Therefore, in this article, we provide a broad review of commercial and experimental ND vaccines and promising new platforms for the development of next-generation vaccines.

A New Strategy for Efficient Screening and Identification of Monoclonal Antibodies against Oncogenic Avian Herpesvirus Utilizing CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene-Editing Technology

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is an important oncogenic α-herpesvirus that induces Marek’s disease (MD), characterized by severe immunosuppression and rapid-onset T-cell lymphomas in its natural chicken hosts. Historically, MD is regarded as an ideal biomedical model for studying virally induced cancers. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against viral or host antigenic epitopes are crucial for virology research, especially in the exploration of gene functions, clinical therapy, and the development of diagnostic reagents. Utilizing the CRISPR/Cas9-based gene-editing technology, we produced a pp38-deleted MDV-1 mutant—GX0101Δpp38—and used it for the rapid screening and identification of pp38-specific mAbs from a pool of MDV-specific antibodies from 34 hybridomas. The cross-staining of parental and mutated MDV plaques with hybridoma supernatants was first performed by immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Four monoclonal hybridomas—namely, 4F9, 31G7, 34F2, and 35G9—were demonstrated to secrete specific antibodies against MDV-1’s pp38 protein, which was further confirmed by IFA staining and confocal analysis. Further experiments using Western blotting, immunoprecipitation (IP), liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis demonstrated that the pp38-specific mAb 31G7 has high specificity and wide application potential for further research in MD biology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the use of CRISPR/Cas9-based gene-editing technology for efficient screening and identification of mAbs against a specific viral protein, and provides a meaningful reference for the future production of antibodies against other viruses—especially for large DNA viruses such as herpesviruses.

An overview: CRISPR/Cas-based gene editing for viral vaccine development

INTRODUCTION

: Gene-editing technology revolutionized vaccine manufacturing and offers a variety of benefits over traditional vaccinations, such as improved immune response, higher production rate, stability, precise immunogenic activity, and fewer adverse effects. The more recently discovered Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/associated protein 9 (Cas9) system has become the most widely utilized technology based on its efficiency, utility, flexibility, versatility, ease of use, and cheaper compared to other gene-editing techniques. Considering its wider scope for genomic modification, CRISPR/Cas9-based technology's potential is explored for vaccine development.

AREAS COVERED

: In this review, we will address the recent advances in the CRISPR/Cas system for the development of vaccines and viral vectors for delivery. In addition, we will discuss strategies for the development of the vaccine, as well as the limitations and future prospects of the CRISPR/Cas system.

EXPERT OPINION

: Human and animal viruses have been exposed to antiviral CRISPR/Cas9-based engineering to prevent infection, which uses knockout, knock-in, gene activation/deactivation, RNA targeting, and editing cell lines strategies for gene editing of viruses. Because of that CRISPR/Cas system is used to boost the vaccine production yield by removing unwanted genes that cause disease or are required for viral infection.

Vaccines against Major Poultry Viral Diseases: Strategies to Improve the Breadth and Protective Efficacy

The poultry industry is the largest source of meat and eggs for human consumption worldwide. However, viral outbreaks in farmed stock are a common occurrence and a major source of concern for the industry. Mortality and morbidity resulting from an outbreak can cause significant economic losses with subsequent detrimental impacts on the global food supply chain. Mass vaccination is one of the main strategies for controlling and preventing viral infection in poultry. The development of broadly protective vaccines against avian viral diseases will alleviate selection pressure on field virus strains and simplify vaccination regimens for commercial farms with overall savings in husbandry costs. With the increasing number of emerging and re-emerging viral infectious diseases in the poultry industry, there is an urgent need to understand the strategies for broadening the protective efficacy of the vaccines against distinct viral strains. The current review provides an overview of viral vaccines and vaccination regimens available for common avian viral infections, and strategies for developing safer and more efficacious viral vaccines for poultry.

Identification of a Novel Insertion Site HVT-005/006 for the Generation of Recombinant Turkey Herpesvirus Vector

Turkey herpesvirus (HVT) has been widely used as a successful live virus vaccine against Marek's disease (MD) in chickens for more than five decades. Increasingly, HVT is also used as a highly effective recombinant vaccine vector against multiple avian pathogens. Conventional recombination, or recombineering, techniques that involve the cloning of viral genomes and, more recently, gene editing methods have been used for the generation of recombinant HVT-based vaccines. In this study, we used NHEJ-dependent CRISPR/Cas9-based approaches to insert the mCherry cassette for the screening of the HVT genome and identifying new potential sites for the insertion of foreign genes. A novel intergenic site HVT-005/006 in the unique long (UL) region of the HVT genome was identified, and mCherry was found to be stably expressed when inserted at this site. To confirm whether this site was suitable for the insertion of other exogenous genes, haemagglutinin (HA) of the H9N2 virus was inserted into this site, and a recombinant HVT-005/006-HA was rescued. The recombinant HVT-HA can grow well and express HA protein stably, which demonstrated that HVT-005/006 is a promising site for the insertion of foreign genes.

CRISPR/Cas9 Editing of Duck Enteritis Virus Genome for the Construction of a Recombinant Vaccine Vector Expressing ompH Gene of Pasteurella multocida in Two Novel Insertion Sites

Duck enteritis virus (DEV) and Pasteurella multocida, the causative agent of duck plague and fowl cholera, are acute contagious diseases and leading causes of morbidity and mortality in duck. The NHEJ-CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing strategy, accompanied with the Cre–Lox system, have been employed in the present study to show that two new sites at UL55-LORF11 and UL44-44.5 loci in the genome of the attenuated Jansen strain of DEV can be used for the stable expression of the outer membrane protein H (ompH) gene of P. multocida that could be used as a bivalent vaccine candidate with the potential of protecting ducks simultaneously against major viral and bacterial pathogens. The two recombinant viruses, DEV-OmpH-V5-UL55-LORF11 and DEV-OmpH-V5-UL44-44.5, with the insertion of ompH-V5 gene at the UL55-LORF11 and UL44-44.5 loci respectively, showed similar growth kinetics and plaque size, compared to the wildtype virus, confirming that the insertion of the foreign gene into these did not have any detrimental effects on DEV. This is the first time the CRISPR/Cas9 system has been applied to insert a highly immunogenic gene from bacteria into the DEV genome rapidly and efficiently. This approach offers an efficient way to introduce other antigens into the DEV genome for multivalent vector.

A Recombinant Turkey Herpesvirus Expressing the F Protein of Newcastle Disease Virus Genotype XII Generated by NHEJ-CRISPR/Cas9 and Cre-LoxP Systems Confers Protection against Genotype XII Challenge in Chickens

In this study, we developed a new recombinant virus rHVT-F using a Turkey herpesvirus (HVT) vector, expressing the fusion (F) protein of the genotype XII Newcastle disease virus (NDV) circulating in Peru. We evaluated the viral shedding and efficacy against the NDV genotype XII challenge in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. The F protein expression cassette was inserted in the unique long (UL) UL45–UL46 intergenic locus of the HVT genome by utilizing a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9 gene-editing technology via a non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair pathway. The rHVT-F virus, which expressed the F protein stably in vitro and in vivo, showed similar growth kinetics to the wild-type HVT (wtHVT) virus. The F protein expression of the rHVT-F virus was detected by an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), Western blotting, and a flow cytometry assay. The presence of an NDV-specific IgY antibody was detected in serum samples by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in SPF chickens vaccinated with the rHVT-F virus. In the challenge experiment, the rHVT-F vaccine fully protects a high, and significantly reduced, virus shedding in oral at 5 days post-challenge (dpc). In conclusion, this new rHVT-F vaccine candidate is capable of fully protecting SPF chickens against the genotype XII challenge.

Therapeutic potentials of CRISPR-Cas genome editing technology in human viral infections

Viral infections are a common cause of morbidity worldwide. The emergence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to more attention to viral infections and finding novel therapeutics. The CRISPR-Cas9 system has been recently proposed as a potential therapeutic tool for the treatment of viral diseases. Here, we review the research progress in the use of CRISPR-Cas technology for treating viral infections, as well as the strategies for improving the delivery of this gene-editing tool in vivo. Key challenges that hinder the widespread clinical application of CRISPR-Cas9 technology are also discussed, and several possible directions for future research are proposed.

V5 and GFP Tagging of Viral Gene pp38 of Marek's Disease Vaccine Strain CVI988 Using CRISPR/Cas9 Editing

Marek's disease virus (MDV) is a member of alphaherpesviruses associated with Marek's disease, a highly contagious neoplastic disease in chickens. The availability of the complete sequence of the viral genome allowed for the identification of major genes associated with pathogenicity using different techniques, such as bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) mutagenesis and the recent powerful clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)-based editing system. Thus far, most studies on MDV genome editing using the CRISPR/Cas9 system have focused on gene deletion. However, analysis of the expression and interactions of the viral proteins during virus replication in infected cells and tumor cells is also important for studying its role in MDV pathogenesis. The unavailability of antibodies against most of the MDV proteins has hindered the progress in such studies. This prompted us to develop pipelines to tag MDV genes as an alternative method for this purpose. Here we describe the application of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing approaches to tag the phosphoprotein 38 (pp38) gene of the MDV vaccine strain CVI988 with both V5 and green fluorescent protein (GFP). This rapid and efficient viral-gene-tagging technique can overcome the shortage of specific antibodies and speed up the MDV gene function studies significantly, leading to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of MDV pathogenesis.

Targeted deletion of glycoprotein B gene by CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease inhibits Gallid herpesvirus type 3 in dually-infected Marek's disease virus-transformed lymphoblastoid cell line MSB-1

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is a member of the genus Mardivirus in the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae. There are three different serotypes of MDV designated as MDV-1 (Gallid herpesvirus type 2), MDV-2 (Gallid herpesvirus type 3), and MDV-3 (Meleagrid herpesvirus 1, herpesvirus of turkeys, HVT). MDV-1 is the only serotype that induces Marek’s disease (MD), a lymphoproliferative disorder resulting in aggressive T-cell lymphomas and paralytic symptoms. In the lymphomas and lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) derived from them, MDV establishes latent infection with limited viral gene expression. The latent viral genome in LCL can be activated by co-cultivation with chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) monolayers. MSB-1, one of the first MDV-transformed LCL established from the splenic lymphoma, is distinct in harboring both the oncogenic MDV-1 and non-oncogenic MDV-2 viruses. Following the successful application of CRISPR/Cas9 editing approach for precise knockdown of the MDV-1 genes in LCL, we describe here the targeted deletion of MDV-2 glycoprotein B (gB) in MSB-1 cells. Due to the essential nature of gB for infectivity, the production of MDV-2 plaques on CEF was completely abolished in the MDV-2-gB-deleted MSB-1 cells. Our study has demonstrated that the CRISPR/Cas9 system can be used for targeted inactivation of the co-infecting MDV-2 without affecting the MDV-1 in the MSB-1 cell line. Successful inactivation of MDV-2 demonstrated here also points toward the possibility of using targeted gene editing as an antiviral strategy against pathogenic MDV-1 and other viruses infecting chickens.

IMPORTANCE Marek’s disease (MD) is a lymphoproliferative disease of chickens characterized by rapid-onset lymphomas in multiple organs and by infiltration into peripheral nerves, causing paralysis. Lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL) derived from MD lymphomas have served as valuable resources to improve understanding of distinct aspects of virus-host interactions in transformed cells including transformation, latency, and reactivation. MDV-transformed LCL MSB-1, derived from spleen lymphoma induced by the BC-1 strain of MDV, has a unique feature of harboring an additional non-pathogenic MDV-2 strain HPRS-24. By targeted deletion of essential gene glycoprotein B from the MDV-2 genome within the MSB-1 cells, we demonstrated the total inhibition of MDV-2 virus replication on co-cultivated CEF, with no effect on MDV-1 replication. The identified viral genes critical for reactivation/inhibition of viruses will be useful as targets for development of de novo disease resistance in chickens to avian pathogens.

Review of Poultry Recombinant Vector Vaccines

The control of poultry diseases has relied heavily on the use of many live and inactivated vaccines. However, over the last 30 yr, recombinant DNA technology has been used to generate many novel poultry vaccines. Fowlpox virus and turkey herpesvirus are the two main vectors currently used to construct recombinant vaccines for poultry. With the use of these two vectors, more than 15 recombinant viral vector vaccines against Newcastle disease, infectious laryngotracheitis, infectious bursal disease, avian influenza, and Mycoplasma gallisepticum have been developed and are commercially available. This review focuses on current knowledge about the safety and efficacy of recombinant viral vectored vaccines and the mechanisms by which they facilitate the control of multiple diseases. Additionally, the development of new recombinant vaccines with novel vectors will be briefly discussed.

Genome Editing Strategies to Protect Livestock from Viral Infections

The livestock industry is constantly threatened by viral disease outbreaks, including infections with zoonotic potential. While preventive vaccination is frequently applied, disease control and eradication also depend on strict biosecurity measures. Clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and associated proteins (Cas) have been repurposed as genome editors to induce targeted double-strand breaks at almost any location in the genome. Thus, CRISPR/Cas genome editors can also be utilized to generate disease-resistant or resilient livestock, develop vaccines, and further understand virus-host interactions. Genes of interest in animals and viruses can be targeted to understand their functions during infection. Furthermore, transgenic animals expressing CRISPR/Cas can be generated to target the viral genome upon infection. Genetically modified livestock can thereby reduce disease outbreaks and decrease zoonotic threats.

Application of CRISPR-Cas9 Editing for Virus Engineering and the Development of Recombinant Viral Vaccines

CRISPR-Cas technology, discovered originally as a bacterial defense system, has been extensively repurposed as a powerful tool for genome editing for multiple applications in biology. In the field of virology, CRISPR-Cas9 technology has been widely applied on genetic recombination and engineering of genomes of various viruses to ask some fundamental questions about virus-host interactions. Its high efficiency, specificity, versatility, and low cost have also provided great inspiration and hope in the field of vaccinology to solve a series of bottleneck problems in the development of recombinant viral vaccines. This review highlights the applications of CRISPR editing in the technological advances compared to the traditional approaches used for the construction of recombinant viral vaccines and vectors, the main factors affecting their application, and the challenges that need to be overcome for further streamlining their effective usage in the prevention and control of diseases. Factors affecting efficiency, target specificity, and fidelity of CRISPR-Cas editing in the context of viral genome editing and development of recombinant vaccines are also discussed.

CRISPR/Cas9-based generation of a recombinant double-reporter pseudorabies virus and its characterization in vitro and in vivo

Pseudorabies, caused by pseudorabies virus (PRV) variants, has broken out among commercial PRV vaccine-immunized swine herds and resulted in major economic losses to the pig industry in China since late 2011. However, the mechanism of virulence enhancement of variant PRV is currently unclear. Here, a recombinant PRV (rPRV HN1201-EGFP-Luc) with stable expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and firefly luciferase as a double reporter virus was constructed on the basis of the PRV variant HN1201 through CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology coupled with two sgRNAs. The biological characteristics of the recombinant virus and its lethality to mice were similar to those of the parental strain and displayed a stable viral titre and luciferase activity through 20 passages. Moreover, bioluminescence signals were detected in mice at 12 h after rPRV HN1201-EGFP-Luc infection. Using the double reporter PRV, we also found that 25-hydroxycholesterol had a significant inhibitory effect on PRV both in vivo and in vitro. These results suggested that the double reporter PRV based on PRV variant HN1201 should be an excellent tool for basic virology studies and evaluating antiviral agents.

Methods for the Manipulation of Herpesvirus Genome and the Application to Marek's Disease Virus Research

Herpesviruses are a group of double-strand DNA viruses that infect a wide range of hosts, including humans and animals. In the past decades, numerous methods have been developed to manipulate herpesviruses genomes, from the introduction of random mutations to specific genome editing. The development of genome manipulation methods has largely advanced the study of viral genes function, contributing not only to the understanding of herpesvirus biology and pathogenesis, but also the generation of novel vaccines and therapies to control and treat diseases. In this review, we summarize the major methods of herpesvirus genome manipulation with emphasis in their application to Marek’s disease virus research.

Latest Advances of Virology Research Using CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene-Editing Technology and Its Application to Vaccine Development

In recent years, the CRISPR/Cas9-based gene-editing techniques have been well developed and applied widely in several aspects of research in the biological sciences, in many species, including humans, animals, plants, and even in viruses. Modification of the viral genome is crucial for revealing gene function, virus pathogenesis, gene therapy, genetic engineering, and vaccine development. Herein, we have provided a brief review of the different technologies for the modification of the viral genomes. Particularly, we have focused on the recently developed CRISPR/Cas9-based gene-editing system, detailing its origin, functional principles, and touching on its latest achievements in virology research and applications in vaccine development, especially in large DNA viruses of humans and animals. Future prospects of CRISPR/Cas9-based gene-editing technology in virology research, including the potential shortcomings, are also discussed.

Application of CRISPR/Cas9 in Understanding Avian Viruses and Developing Poultry Vaccines

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats associated protein nuclease 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) technology offers novel approaches to precisely, cost-effectively, and user-friendly edit genomes for a wide array of applications and across multiple disciplines. This methodology can be leveraged to underpin host-virus interactions, elucidate viral gene functions, and to develop recombinant vaccines. The successful utilization of CRISPR/Cas9 in editing viral genomes has paved the way of developing novel and multiplex viral vectored poultry vaccines. Furthermore, CRISPR/Cas9 can be exploited to rectify major limitations of conventional approaches including reversion to virulent form, recombination with field viruses and transgene, and genome instability. This review provides comprehensive analysis of the potential of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technique in understanding avian virus-host interactions and developing novel poultry vaccines. Finally, we discuss the simplest and practical aspects of genome editing approaches in generating multivalent recombinant poultry vaccines that conform simultaneous protection against major avian diseases.

Development and Applications of Viral Vectored Vaccines to Combat Zoonotic and Emerging Public Health Threats

Vaccination is arguably the most cost-effective preventative measure against infectious diseases. While vaccines have been successfully developed against certain viruses (e.g., yellow fever virus, polio virus, and human papilloma virus HPV), those against a number of other important public health threats, such as HIV-1, hepatitis C, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), have so far had very limited success. The global pandemic of COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, highlights the urgency of vaccine development against this and other constant threats of zoonotic infection. While some traditional methods of producing vaccines have proven to be successful, new concepts have emerged in recent years to produce more cost-effective and less time-consuming vaccines that rely on viral vectors to deliver the desired immunogens. This review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of different viral vaccine vectors and their general strategies and applications in both human and veterinary medicines. A careful review of these issues is necessary as they can provide important insights into how some of these viral vaccine vectors can induce robust and long-lasting immune responses in order to provide protective efficacy against a variety of infectious disease threats to humans and animals, including those with zoonotic potential to cause global pandemics.

Abrogation of Marek's disease virus replication using CRISPR/Cas9

Marek's disease virus (MDV) is a highly cell-associated alphaherpesvirus that causes deadly lymphomas in chickens. While vaccination protects against clinical symptoms, MDV field strains can still circulate in vaccinated flocks and continuously evolve towards greater virulence. MDV vaccines do not provide sterilizing immunity, allowing the virus to overcome vaccine protection, and has increased the need for more potent vaccines or alternative interventions. In this study, we addressed if the CRISPR/Cas9 system can protect cells from MDV replication. We first screened a number of guide RNAs (gRNAs) targeting essential MDV genes for their ability to prevent virus replication. Single gRNAs significantly inhibited virus replication, but could result in the emergence of escape mutants. Strikingly, combining two or more gRNAs completely abrogated virus replication and no escape mutants were observed upon serial passaging. Our study provides the first proof-of-concept, demonstrating that the CRISPR/Cas9 system can be efficiently used to block MDV replication. The presented findings lay the foundation for future research to completely protect chickens from this deadly pathogen.

Novel Insights into the Roles of Bcl-2 Homolog Nr-13 (vNr-13) Encoded by Herpesvirus of Turkeys in the Virus Replication Cycle, Mitochondrial Networks, and Apoptosis Inhibition

The Bcl-2 (B cell lymphoma 2)-related protein Nr-13 plays a major role in the regulation of cell death in developing avian B cells. With over 65% sequence similarity to the chicken Nr-13, herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) vNr-13, encoded by the HVT079 and HVT096 genes, is the first known alphaherpesvirus-encoded Bcl-2 homolog. HVT-infected cells were reported to be relatively more resistant to serum starvation, suggested that vNr-13 could be involved in protecting the cells. Here, we describe CRISPR/Cas9-based editing of exon 1 of the HVT079 and HVT096 genes from the HVT genome to generate the mutant HVT-ΔvNr-13 to gain insights into its functional roles. Overall, wild-type HVT and HVT-ΔvNr-13 showed similar growth kinetics; however, at early time points, HVT-ΔvNr-13 showed 1.3- to 1.7-fold-lower growth of cell-associated virus and 3- to 6.2-fold-lower growth of cell-free virus. In transfected cells, HVT vNr-13 showed a mainly diffuse cytoplasmic distribution with faint nuclear staining. Further, vNr-13 localized to the mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and disrupted mitochondrial network morphology in the transfected cells. In the wild-type HVT-infected cells, vNr-13 expression appeared to be directly involved in the disruption of the mitochondrial network, as the mitochondrial network morphology was substantially restored in the HVT-ΔvNr-13-infected cells. IncuCyte S3 real-time apoptosis monitoring demonstrated that vNr-13 is unequivocally involved in the apoptosis inhibition, and it is associated with an increase of PFU, especially under serum-free conditions in the later stages of the viral replication cycle. Furthermore, HVT blocks apoptosis in infected cells but activates apoptosis in noninfected bystander cells.IMPORTANCE B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family proteins play important roles in regulating apoptosis during homeostasis, tissue development, and infectious diseases. Several viruses encode homologs of cellular Bcl-2-proteins (vBcl-2) to inhibit apoptosis, which enable them to replicate and persist in the infected cells and to evade/modulate the immune response of the host. Herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) is a nonpathogenic alphaherpesvirus of turkeys and chickens that is widely used as a live vaccine against Marek's disease and as recombinant vaccine viral vectors for protecting against multiple avian diseases. Identical copies of the HVT genes HVT079 and HVT096 encode the Bcl-2 homolog vNr-13. While previous studies have identified the potential ability of vNr-13 in inhibiting apoptosis induced by serum deprivation, there have been no detailed investigations on the functions of vNr-13. Using CRISPR/Cas9-based ablation of the vNr-13 gene, we demonstrated the roles of HVT vNr-13 in early stages of the viral replication cycle, mitochondrial morphology disruption, and apoptosis inhibition in later stages of viral replication.

Efficient Mutagenesis of Marek's Disease Virus-Encoded microRNAs Using a CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene Editing System

The virus-encoded microRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to have important regulatory roles in herpesvirus biology, including virus replication, latency, pathogenesis and/or tumorigenesis. As an emerging efficient tool for gene editing, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9 system has been successfully applied in manipulating the genomes of large DNA viruses. Herein, utilizing the CRISPR/Cas9 system with a double-guide RNAs transfection/virus infection strategy, we have established a new platform for mutagenesis of viral miRNAs encoded by the Marek's disease virus serotype 1 (MDV-1), an oncogenic alphaherpesvirus that can induce rapid-onset T-cell lymphomas in chickens. A series of miRNA-knocked out (miR-KO) mutants with deletions of the Meq- or the mid-clustered miRNAs, namely RB-1B∆Meq-miRs, RB-1B∆M9-M2, RB-1B∆M4, RB-1B∆M9 and RB-1B∆M11, were generated from vvMDV strain RB-1B virus. Interestingly, mutagenesis of the targeted miRNAs showed changes in the in vitro virus growth kinetics, which is consistent with that of the in vivo proliferation curves of our previously reported GX0101 mutants produced by the bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clone and Rec E/T homologous recombination techniques. Our data demonstrate that the CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing is a simple, efficient and relatively nondisruptive approach for manipulating the small non-coding genes from the genome of herpesvirus and will undoubtedly contribute significantly to the future progress in herpesvirus biology.

Generation of A Triple Insert Live Avian Herpesvirus Vectored Vaccine Using CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene Editing

Herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT), used originally as a vaccine against Marek’s disease (MD), has recently been shown to be a highly effective viral vector for generation of recombinant vaccines that deliver protective antigens of other avian pathogens. Until the recent launch of commercial HVT-vectored dual insert vaccines, most of the HVT-vectored vaccines in the market carry a single foreign gene and are usually developed with slow and less efficient conventional recombination methods. There is immense value in developing multivalent HVT-vectored vaccines capable of inducing simultaneous protection against multiple avian pathogens, particularly to overcome the interference between individual recombinant HVT vaccines. Here we demonstrate the use of a previously developed CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing protocol for the insertion of ILTV gD-gI and the H9N2 AIV hemagglutinin expression cassettes into the distinct locations of the recombinant HVT-IBDV VP2 viral genome, to generate the triple insert HVT-VP2-gDgI-HA recombinant vaccine. The insertion, protein expression, and stability of each insert were then evaluated by PCR, immunostaining and Western blot analyses. The successful generation of the first triple insert recombinant HVT vaccine with the potential for the simultaneous protection against three major avian viral diseases in addition to MD is a major innovation in vaccination-based control of major poultry diseases.

Application of HDR-CRISPR/Cas9 and Erythrocyte Binding for Rapid Generation of Recombinant Turkey Herpesvirus-Vectored Avian Influenza Virus Vaccines

Avian influenza viruses (AIVs) are highly contagious and have caused huge economical loss to the poultry industry. AIV vaccines remain one of the most effective methods of controlling this disease. Turkey herpesvirus (HVT) is a commonly used live attenuated vaccine against Marek’s disease; it has also been used as a viral vector for recombinant AIV vaccine development. The clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 system is a gene editing tool which, in vaccinology, has facilitated the development of recombinant DNA viral-vectored vaccines. Here, we utilize homology-directed repair (HDR) for the generation of a HVT–H7N9 HA bivalent vaccine; a H7N9 HA expression cassette was inserted into the intergenic region between UL45 and UL46 of HVT. To optimize the selection efficiency of our bivalent vaccine, we combined CRISPR/Cas9 with erythrocyte binding to rapidly generate recombinant HVT–H7HA candidate vaccines.

Utilization of herpesviridae as recombinant viral vectors in vaccine development against animal pathogens

Throughout the past few decades, numerous viral species have been generated as vaccine vectors. Every viral vector has its own distinct characteristics. For example, the family herpesviridae encompasses several viruses that have medical and veterinary importance. Attenuated herpesviruses are developed as vectors to convey heterologous immunogens targeting several serious and crucial pathogens. Some of these vectors have already been licensed for use in the veterinary field. One of their prominent features is their capability to accommodate large amount of foreign DNA, and to stimulate both cell-mediated and humoral immune responses. A better understanding of vector-host interaction builds up a robust foundation for the future development of herpesviruses-based vectors. At the time, many molecular tools are applied to enable the generation of herpesvirus-based recombinant vaccine vectors such as BAC technology, homologous and two-step en passant mutagenesis, codon optimization, and the CRISPR/Cas9 system. This review article highlights the most important techniques applied in constructing recombinant herpesviruses vectors, advantages and disadvantages of each recombinant herpesvirus vector, and the most recent research regarding their use to control major animal diseases.

Targeted Editing of the pp38 Gene in Marek's Disease Virus-Transformed Cell Lines Using CRISPR/Cas9 System

Marek's disease virus (MDV), a lymphotropic α-herpesvirus associated with T-cell lymphomas in chickens, is an excellent model for herpesvirus biology and virus-induced oncogenesis. Marek's disease (MD) is also one of the cancers against which a vaccine was first used. In the lymphomas and lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) derived from them, MDV establishes latent infection with limited gene expression. Although LCLs are valuable for interrogating viral and host gene functions, molecular determinants associated with the maintenance of MDV latency and lytic switch remain largely unknown, mainly due to the lack of tools for in situ manipulation of the genomes in these cell lines. Here we describe the first application of CRISPR/Cas9 editing approach for precise editing of the viral gene phosphoprotein 38 (pp38), a biomarker for latent/lytic switch in MDV-transformed LCLs MDCC-MSB-1 (Marek's disease cell line MSB-1) and MDCC-HP8. Contradictory to the previous reports suggesting that pp38 is involved in the maintenance of transformation of LCL MSB-1 cells, we show that pp38-deleted cells proliferated at a significant higher rate, suggesting that pp38 is dispensable for the transformed state of these cell lines. Application of CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing of MDV-transformed cell lines in situ opens up further opportunities towards a better understanding of MDV pathogenesis and virus-host interactions.

Poxvirus-based vector systems and the potential for multi-valent and multi-pathogen vaccines

INTRODUCTION

With the increasing number of vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases, the pressure to generate multi-valent and multi-pathogen vaccines grows. Combining individual established vaccines to generate single-shot formulations represents an established path, with significant ensuing public health and cost benefits. Poxvirus-based vector systems have the capacity for large recombinant payloads and have been widely used as platforms for the development of recombinant vaccines encoding multiple antigens, with considerable clinical trials activity and a number of registered and licensed products.

AREAS COVERED

Herein we discuss design strategies, production processes, safety issues, regulatory hurdles and clinical trial activities, as well as pertinent new technologies such as systems vaccinology and needle-free delivery. Literature searches used PubMed, Google Scholar and clinical trials registries, with a focus on the recombinant vaccinia-based systems, Modified Vaccinia Ankara and the recently developed Sementis Copenhagen Vector.

EXPERT COMMENTARY

Vaccinia-based platforms show considerable promise for the development of multi-valent and multi-pathogen vaccines, especially with recent developments in vector technologies and manufacturing processes. New methodologies for defining immune correlates and human challenge models may also facilitate bringing such vaccines to market.

The Natural Large Genomic Deletion Is Unrelated to the Increased Virulence of the Novel Genotype Fowl Adenovirus 4 Recently Emerged in China

Since 2015, severe hydropericardium-hepatitis syndrome (HHS), caused by a highly pathogenic fowl adenovirus 4 (FAdV-4), emerged in China. In our previous study, the FAdV-4 has been identified as a novel genotype with a unique 1966-bp nucleotide deletion (1966Del) between open reading frame 42 and 43. In this study, the natural 1966Del was frequently identified among 17 clinical isolates and other reported Chinese clinical strains. To investigate the relationship between 1966Del and the increased virulence of the novel FAdV-4, a CRISPR/Cas9 operating platform for FAdV-4 was developed for the first time in this study. Based on this platform, a Re1966 strain was rescued, inserted the relative 1966Del sequence of a nonpathogenic strain KR5. In the pathogenicity study, the Re1966 strain retained high virulence for specific-pathogen-free chickens, similar to the parental wild-type HLJFAd15, although the survival time of chickens infected with Re1966 was much longer. Therefore, the natural 1966Del was identified as a non-essential site for the increased virulence of the emerged novel FAdV-4. Although further research on the virulence-determining region or point within the genome of the novel FAdV-4 is needed, the CRISPR/Cas9 operating platform for the novel FAdV-4 was developed and successfully applied to edit the genomic DNA for the first time, and it provides a novel powerful tool for both basic virology studies and vaccine vector development of FAdVs.

Application of CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing System on MDV-1 Genome for the Study of Gene Function

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is a member of alphaherpesviruses associated with Marek’s disease, a highly contagious neoplastic disease in chickens. Complete sequencing of the viral genome and recombineering techniques using infectious bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) clones of Marek’s disease virus genome have identified major genes that are associated with pathogenicity. Recent advances in CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing have given opportunities for precise editing of the viral genome for identifying pathogenic determinants. Here we describe the application of CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing approaches to delete the Meq and pp38 genes from the CVI988 vaccine strain of MDV. This powerful technology will speed up the MDV gene function studies significantly, leading to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of MDV pathogenesis.

Rapid CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Cloning of Full-Length Epstein-Barr Virus Genomes from Latently Infected Cells

Herpesviruses have relatively large DNA genomes of more than 150 kb that are difficult to clone and sequence. Bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) cloning of herpesvirus genomes is a powerful technique that greatly facilitates whole viral genome sequencing as well as functional characterization of reconstituted viruses. We describe recently invented technologies for rapid BAC cloning of herpesvirus genomes using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homology-directed repair. We focus on recent BAC cloning techniques of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genomes and discuss the possible advantages of a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated strategy comparatively with precedent EBV-BAC cloning strategies. We also describe the design decisions of this technology as well as possible pitfalls and points to be improved in the future. The obtained EBV-BAC clones are subjected to long-read sequencing analysis to determine complete EBV genome sequence including repetitive regions. Rapid cloning and sequence determination of various EBV strains will greatly contribute to the understanding of their global geographical distribution. This technology can also be used to clone disease-associated EBV strains and test the hypothesis that they have special features that distinguish them from strains that infect asymptomatically.

Recent advances in viral vectors in veterinary vaccinology

Viral vectored vaccines, particularly using vectors such as adenovirus, herpesvirus and poxviruses, are used widely in veterinary medicine, where this technology has been adopted much more quickly than in human medicine. There are now a large number of programmes to develop viral vector vaccine platforms for humans and very similar or identical vectors are being developed for veterinary medicine. The shared experiences of developing these new vaccine platforms across the two disciplines is accelerating progress, a striking example of the value of a 'One Health' approach. In particular, there is growing use of adenoviruses, either replicating or replication-incompetent, to create new vaccines for use in livestock or companion animals. Live replicating avian herpesvirus vectors are increasingly used as vaccines against poultry diseases.