Activation of the chicken type I interferon response by infectious bronchitis coronavirus

Immuno-pathogenesis study of local infectious bronchitis virus G1-1 lineage variant showed altered tissue tropism in experimental broiler chickens

Infectious bronchitis (IB) is an acute contagious disease of poultry caused by infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). This study investigated the immunopathogenesis and tissue tropism of an Indian IBV field isolate (IBV/Chicken/India/IVRI/Rajasthan/01/2023) in experimental broiler chickens. This isolate belongs to the G1-1 lineage and is closely associated with the Mass genotype. 106.23 EID50/0.2 mL of the virus was administered intranasally and intraocularly to the IBV-challenge group, whereas uninoculated allantoic fluid was administered to the control group. Clinical signs, gross and histopathological lesions, immunohistochemistry (IHC), viral load, humoral responses, and the relative expression of immune response genes were evaluated at seven observation points. The infected group showed a significant reduction in weight gain from 3 dpi onwards, with clinical signs of varying severity from 3 to - 11 dpi. Gross lesions and microscopic changes were observed in the nasal turbinates, trachea, lungs, and kidneys, mainly representing epithelial degeneration and necrosis with mononuclear infiltrates. The caecal tonsils also showed microscopic lesions at 7-9 dpi. Absolute viral load estimation in the organs corroborated the lesion severity scores and IHC results. The expression of innate immune responses broadly demonstrated higher expression in the trachea and lungs of the IBV-infected group during the early phase of infection, whereas similar responses were observed in the kidneys and caecal tonsils during the later phases of infection. This study suggests that the given IBV isolate may cause significant production losses in broilers and exhibit tissue tropism for both respiratory and non-respiratory tissues, triggering varying innate and adaptive immune responses.

Dissecting infectious bronchitis virus-induced host shutoff at the translation level

Viruses have evolved a range of strategies to utilize or manipulate the host's cellular translational machinery for efficient infection, although the mechanisms by which infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) manipulates the host translation machinery remain unclear. In this study, we firstly demonstrate that IBV infection causes host shutoff, although viral protein synthesis is not affected. We then screened 23 viral proteins, and identified that more than one viral protein is responsible for IBV-induced host shutoff, the inhibitory effects of proteins Nsp15 were particularly pronounced. Ribosome profiling was used to draw the landscape of viral mRNA and cellular genes expression model, and the results showed that IBV mRNAs gradually dominated the cellular mRNA pool, the translation efficiency of the viral mRNAs was lower than the median efficiency (about 1) of cellular mRNAs. In the analysis of viral transcription and translation, higher densities of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and ribosome profiling (Ribo-seq) reads were observed for structural proteins and 5' untranslated regions, which conformed to the typical transcriptional characteristics of nested viruses. Translational halt events and the number of host genes increased significantly after viral infection. The translationally paused genes were enriched in translation, unfolded-protein-related response, and activation of immune response pathways. Immune- and inflammation-related mRNAs were inefficiently translated in infected cells, and IBV infection delayed the production of IFN-β and IFN-λ. Our results describe the translational landscape of IBV-infected cells and demonstrate new strategies by which IBV induces host gene shutoff to promote its replication.

IMPORTANCE

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a γ-coronavirus that causes huge economic losses to the poultry industry. Understanding how the virus manipulates cellular biological processes to facilitate its replication is critical for controlling viral infections. Here, we used Ribo-seq to determine how IBV infection remodels the host's biological processes and identified multiple viral proteins involved in host gene shutoff. Immune- and inflammation-related mRNAs were inefficiently translated, the translation halt of unfolded proteins and immune activation-related genes increased significantly, benefitting IBV replication. These data provide new insights into how IBV modulates its host's antiviral responses.

Host Immune Response Modulation in Avian Coronavirus Infection: Tracheal Transcriptome Profiling In Vitro and In Vivo

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a highly contagious Gammacoronavirus causing moderate to severe respiratory infection in chickens. Understanding the initial antiviral response in the respiratory mucosa is crucial for controlling viral spread. We aimed to characterize the impact of IBV Delmarva (DMV)/1639 and IBV Massachusetts (Mass) 41 at the primary site of infection, namely, in chicken tracheal epithelial cells (cTECs) in vitro and the trachea in vivo. We hypothesized that some elements of the induced antiviral responses are distinct in both infection models. We inoculated cTECs and infected young specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens with IBV DMV/1639 or IBV Mass41, along with mock-inoculated controls, and studied the transcriptome using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) at 3 and 18 h post-infection (hpi) for cTECs and at 4 and 11 days post-infection (dpi) in the trachea. We showed that IBV DMV/1639 and IBV Mass41 replicate in cTECs in vitro and the trachea in vivo, inducing host mRNA expression profiles that are strain- and time-dependent. We demonstrated the different gene expression patterns between in vitro and in vivo tracheal IBV infection. Ultimately, characterizing host-pathogen interactions with various IBV strains reveals potential mechanisms for inducing and modulating the immune response during IBV infection in the chicken trachea.

Antiviral effect of palmatine against infectious bronchitis virus through regulation of NF-κB/IRF7/JAK-STAT signalling pathway and apoptosis

1. Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a gamma-coronavirus, can infect chickens of all ages and leads to an acute contact respiratory infection. This study evaluated the anti-viral activity of palmatine, a natural non-flavonoid alkaloid, against IBV in chicken embryo kidney (CEK) cells.2. The half toxic concentration (CC50) of palmatine was 672.92 μM, the half inhibitory concentration (IC50) of palmatine against IBV was 7.76 μM and the selection index (SI) was 86.74.3. Mode of action assay showed that palmatine was able to directly inactivate IBV and inhibited the adsorption, penetration and intracellular replication of IBV.4. Palmatine significantly upregulated TRAF6, TAB1 and IKK-β compared with the IBV-infected group, leading to the increased expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α in the downstream NF-κB signalling pathway.5. Palmatine significantly up-regulated the levels of MDA5, MAVS, IRF7, IFN-α and IFN-β in the IRF7 pathway, inducing type I interferon production. It up-regulated the expression of 2'5'-oligoadenylate synthase (OAS) in the JAK-STAT pathway.6. IBV infection induced cell apoptosis and palmatine-treatment delayed the process of apoptosis by regulation of the expression of apoptosis-related genes (BAX, BCL-2, CASPASE-3 and CASPASE-8).7. Palmatine could exert anti-IBV activity through regulation of NF-κB/IRF7/JAK-STAT signalling pathways and apoptosis, providing a theoretical basis for the utilisation of palmatine to treat IBV infection.

Comparative proteomics analysis of kidney in chicken infected by infectious bronchitis virus

The gamma coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is known to cause an acute and highly contagious infectious disease in poultry. Here, this study aimed to investigate the impact of virulent or avirulent IBV infection on the avian host by conducting proteomics with data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) in the kidneys of IBV-infected chickens. The results revealed 267, 489, and 510 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the chicken kidneys at 3, 5, and 7 days postinfection (dpi), respectively, when infected with the GD17/04 strain, which is a highly nephrogenic strain and belongs to the 4/91 genotype. In contrast, the attenuated 4/91 vaccine resulted in the identification of 144, 175, and 258 DEPs at 3, 5, and 7 dpi, respectively. Functional enrichment analyses indicated distinct expression profiles between the 2 IBV strains. Upon GD17/04 infection, metabolic pathways respond initially in the early stage (3 dpi) and immune-related signaling pathways respond in the middle and late stages (5 and 7 dpi). The 4/91 vaccine elicited a completely opposite response compared to the GD17/04 infection. Among all DEPs, 62 immune-related DEPs were focused on and found to be mainly enriched in the type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling pathway and involved in humoral and cellular immunity. Notably, key molecules in the IFN-I signaling pathway including MDA5, LGP2, and TBK1 may serve as regulatory targets of IBV. Overall, this study highlights similarities and discrepancies in the patterns of protein expression at different stages of infection with virulent and avirulent IBV strains, with the IFN-I signaling pathway emerging as a critical response to IBV infection.

Infectious bronchitis virus nucleocapsid protein suppressed type I interferon production by interfering with the binding of MDA5-dsRNA and interacting with LGP2

The type I interferon (IFN-I) is a critical component of the innate immune responses, and Coronaviruses (CoVs) from both the Alphacoronavirus and Betacoronavirus genera interfere with the IFN-I signaling pathway in various ways. Of the gammacoronaviruses that mainly infect birds, little is known about how infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), evades or interferes with the innate immune responses in avian hosts since few IBV strains have been adapted to grow in avian passage cells. Previously, we reported that a highly pathogenic IBV strain GD17/04 has adaptability in an avian cell line, providing a material basis for further study on the interaction mechanism. In the present work, we describe the suppression of IBV to IFN-I and the potential role of IBV-encoded nucleocapsid (N) protein. We show that IBV significantly inhibits the poly I: C-induced IFN-I production, accordingly the nuclear translocation of STAT1, and the expression of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). A detailed analysis revealed that N protein, acting as an IFN-I antagonist, significantly impedes the activation of the IFN-β promoter stimulated by MDA5 and LGP2 but does not counteract its activation by MAVS, TBK1, and IRF7. Further results showed that IBV N protein, verified to be an RNA-binding protein, interferes with MDA5 recognizing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Moreover, we found that the N protein targets LGP2, which is required in the chicken IFN-I signaling pathway. Taken together, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the mechanism by which IBV evades avian innate immune responses.

A Temperature-Sensitive Recombinant of Avian Coronavirus Infectious Bronchitis Virus Provides Complete Protection against Homologous Challenge

Avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is the etiological agent of infectious bronchitis, an acute highly contagious economically relevant respiratory disease of poultry. Vaccination is used to control IBV infections, with live-attenuated vaccines generated via serial passage of a virulent field isolate through embryonated hens' eggs. A fine balance must be achieved between attenuation and the retention of immunogenicity. The exact molecular mechanism of attenuation is unknown, and vaccines produced in this manner present a risk of reversion to virulence as few consensus level changes are acquired. Our previous research resulted in the generation of a recombinant IBV (rIBV) known as M41-R, based on a pathogenic strain M41-CK. M41-R was attenuated in vivo by two amino acid changes, Nsp10-Pro85Leu and Nsp14-Val393Leu; however, the mechanism of attenuation was not determined. Pro85 and Val393 were found to be conserved among not only IBV strains but members of the wider coronavirus family. This study demonstrates that the same changes are associated with a temperature-sensitive (ts) replication phenotype at 41°C in vitro, suggesting that the two phenotypes may be linked. Vaccination of specific-pathogen-free chickens with M41-R induced 100% protection against clinical disease, tracheal ciliary damage, and challenge virus replication following homologous challenge with virulent M41-CK. Temperature sensitivity has been used to rationally attenuate other viral pathogens, including influenza, and the identification of amino acid changes that impart both a ts and an attenuated phenotype may therefore offer an avenue for future coronavirus vaccine development. IMPORTANCE Infectious bronchitis virus is a pathogen of economic and welfare concern for the global poultry industry. Live-attenuated vaccines against are generated by serial passage of a virulent isolate in embryonated eggs until attenuation is achieved. The exact mechanisms of attenuation are unknown, and vaccines produced have a risk of reversion to virulence. Reverse genetics provides a method to generate vaccines that are rationally attenuated and are more stable with respect to back selection due to their clonal origin. Genetic populations resulting from molecular clones are more homogeneous and lack the presence of parental pathogenic viruses, which generation by multiple passage does not. In this study, we identified two amino acids that impart a temperature-sensitive replication phenotype. Immunogenicity is retained and vaccination results in 100% protection against homologous challenge. Temperature sensitivity, used for the development of vaccines against other viruses, presents a method for the development of coronavirus vaccines.

Infectious Bronchitis Virus: A Comprehensive Multilocus Genomic Analysis to Compare DMV/1639 and QX Strains

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a highly variable RNA virus that affects chickens worldwide. Due to its inherited tendency to suffer point mutations and recombination events during viral replication, emergent IBV strains have been linked to nephropathogenic and reproductive disease that are more severe than typical respiratory disease, leading, in some cases, to mortality, severe production losses, and/or unsuccessful vaccination. QX and DMV/1639 strains are examples of the above-mentioned IBV evolutionary pathway and clinical outcome. In this study, our purpose was to systematically compare whole genomes of QX and DMV strains looking at each IBV gene individually. Phylogenetic analyses and amino acid site searches were performed in datasets obtained from GenBank accounting for all IBV genes and using our own relevant sequences as a basis. The QX dataset studied is more genetically diverse than the DMV dataset, partially due to the greater epidemiological diversity within the five QX strains used as a basis compared to the four DMV strains from our study. Historically, QX strains have emerged and spread earlier than DMV strains in Europe and Asia. Consequently, there are more QX sequences deposited in GenBank than DMV strains, assisting in the identification of a larger pool of QX strains. It is likely that a similar evolutionary pattern will be observed among DMV strains as they develop and spread in North America.

The Genetic Stability, Replication Kinetics and Cytopathogenicity of Recombinant Avian Coronaviruses with a T16A or an A26F Mutation within the E Protein Is Cell-Type Dependent

The envelope (E) protein of the avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a small-membrane protein present in two forms during infection: a monomer and a pentameric ion channel. Each form has an independent role during replication; the monomer disrupts the secretory pathway, and the pentamer facilitates virion production. The presence of a T16A or A26F mutation within E exclusively generates the pentameric or monomeric form, respectively. We generated two recombinant IBVs (rIBVs) based on the apathogenic molecular clone Beau-R, containing either a T16A or A26F mutation, denoted as BeauR-T16A and BeauR-A26F. The replication and genetic stability of the rIBVs were assessed in several different cell types, including primary and continuous cells, ex vivo tracheal organ cultures (TOCs) and in ovo. Different replication profiles were observed between cell cultures of different origins. BeauR-A26F replicated to a lower level than Beau-R in Vero cells and in ovo but not in DF1, primary chicken kidney (CK) cells or TOCs. Genetic stability and cytopathic effects were found to differ depending on the cell system. The effect of the T16A and A26F mutations appear to be cell-type dependent, which, therefore, highlights the importance of cell type in the investigation of the IBV E protein.

Infectious Bronchitis Virus Nsp14 Degrades JAK1 to Inhibit the JAK-STAT Signaling Pathway in HD11 Cells

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are RNA viruses that can infect a wide range of animals, including humans, and cause severe respiratory and gastrointestinal disease. The Gammacoronavirus avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) causes acute and contagious diseases in chickens, leading to severe economic losses. Nonstructural protein 14 (Nsp14) is a nonstructural protein encoded by the CoV genome. This protein has a regulatory role in viral virulence and replication. However, the function and mechanism of IBV Nsp14 in regulating the host’s innate immune response remain unclear. Here we report that IBV Nsp14 was a JAK-STAT signaling pathway antagonist in chicken macrophage (HD11) cells. In these cells, Nsp14 protein overexpression blocked IBV suppression induced by exogenous chIFN-γ treatment. Meanwhile, Nsp14 remarkably reduced interferon-gamma-activated sequence (GAS) promoter activation and chIFN-γ-induced interferon-stimulated gene expression. Nsp14 impaired the nuclear translocation of chSTAT1. Furthermore, Nsp14 interacted with Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) to degrade JAK1 via the autophagy pathway, thereby preventing the activation of the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and facilitating viral replication. These results indicated a novel mechanism by which IBV inhibits the host antiviral response and provide new insights into the selection of antiviral targets against CoV.

Current Knowledge on Infectious Bronchitis Virus Non-structural Proteins: The Bearer for Achieving Immune Evasion Function

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is the first coronavirus discovered in the world, which is also the prototype of gamma-coronaviruses. Nowadays, IBV is widespread all over the world and has become one of the causative agent causing severe economic losses in poultry industry. Generally, it is believed that the viral replication and immune evasion functions of IBV were modulated by non-structural and accessory proteins, which were also considered as the causes for its pathogenicity. In this study, we summarized the current knowledge about the immune evasion functions of IBV non-structural and accessory proteins. Some non-structural proteins such as nsp2, nsp3, and nsp15 have been shown to antagonize the host innate immune response. Also, nsp7 and nsp16 can block the antigen presentation to inhibit the adapted immune response. In addition, nsp13, nsp14, and nsp16 are participating in the formation of viral mRNA cap to limit the recognition by innate immune system. In conclusion, it is of vital importance to understand the immune evasion functions of IBV non-structural and accessory proteins, which could help us to further explore the pathogenesis of IBV and provide new horizons for the prevention and treatment of IBV in the future.

The Interplay Between Coronavirus and Type I IFN Response

In the past few decades, newly evolved coronaviruses have posed a global threat to public health and animal breeding. To control and prevent the coronavirus-related diseases, understanding the interaction of the coronavirus and the host immune system is the top priority. Coronaviruses have evolved multiple mechanisms to evade or antagonize the host immune response to ensure their replication. As the first line and main component of innate immune response, type I IFN response is able to restrict virus in the initial infection stage; it is thus not surprising that the primary aim of the virus is to evade or antagonize the IFN response. Gaining a profound understanding of the interaction between coronaviruses and type I IFN response will shed light on vaccine development and therapeutics. In this review, we provide an update on the current knowledge on strategies employed by coronaviruses to evade type I IFN response.

Infectious bronchitis virus infection in chicken: viral load and immune responses in Harderian gland, choanal cleft and turbinate tissues compared to trachea

1. The role of the Harderian gland (HG), choanal cleft (CC) and turbinate in terms of IBV M41 viral load compared to the trachea, and immune (innate, cellular and mucosal) responses were studied in 21-day-old commercial broiler chickens.2. After virulent IBV M41 challenge, the antigen concentration detected either by quantitative RT-PCR or immunohistochemistry peaked at 2-3 days post challenge (dpc) in all tissues. Significant increases of lachrymal IBV-specific IgA and IgY levels were found at 4-5 dpc.3. Gene transcription showed a significant up-regulation of TLR3, MDA5, IL-6, IFN-α and IFN-β, where patterns and magnitude fold-change of mRNA transcription were dependent on the gene and tissue type.4. The results demonstrated active IBV M41 replication in the HG, CC and turbinate, comparable to levels of replication found in the trachea. The data on immune related genes in head-associated tissues provides further understanding on the immunobiology of IBV and offers opportunities to identify their use as quantitative biomarkers in pathogenicity and vaccination-challenge studies.

Chicken-Derived Pattern Recognition Receptor chLGP2 Inhibits the Replication and Proliferation of Infectious Bronchitis Virus

The widespread nature and economic importance of Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and interactions between IBV and the host immune response remain poorly understood. Understanding the mechanism of virus recognition via innate immunity can help resist IBV invasion. Retinoic acid-induced gene I-like receptor (RLRs) recognize virus RNA in virus infection, and LGP2 is a member of RLRs. According to the current studies, LGP2 exhibited certain inhibition in the virus, and there is a lack of investigation for chicken’s LGP2. It is important to figure out the role of chLGP2 in host immune recognition of IBV. Our results showed that chLGP2 inhibited the proliferation of IBV Beaudette in cells. Also, chLGP2 can identify and combine with IBV RNA. The domains of chLGP2 were separately expressed and inspired by related literature, and the chLGP2 K30A mutant was constructed. Our results suggested its structural integrity and the adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity are critical for IBV inhibiting activity. chTRBP was selected after CO-IP and Mass spectrometry test. We found chTRBP and chLGP2 are the interacting partners and promote mutual expression. Our study showed that chTRBP could also suppress IBV infections via chLGP2, which provided a basis for future innate immunity research for IBV.

Coronavirus RNA Synthesis Takes Place within Membrane-Bound Sites

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a gammacoronavirus, is an economically important virus to the poultry industry, as well as a significant welfare issue for chickens. As for all positive strand RNA viruses, IBV infection causes rearrangements of the host cell intracellular membranes to form replication organelles. Replication organelle formation is a highly conserved and vital step in the viral life cycle. Here, we investigate the localization of viral RNA synthesis and the link with replication organelles in host cells. We have shown that sites of viral RNA synthesis and virus-related dsRNA are associated with one another and, significantly, that they are located within a membrane-bound compartment within the cell. We have also shown that some viral RNA produced early in infection remains within these membranes throughout infection, while a proportion is trafficked to the cytoplasm. Importantly, we demonstrate conservation across all four coronavirus genera, including SARS-CoV-2. Understanding more about the replication of these viruses is imperative in order to effectively find ways to control them.

Host Antiviral Responses against Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV): Focus on Innate Immunity

Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is an important gammacoronavirus. The virus is highly contagious, can infect chickens of all ages, and causes considerable economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. In the last few decades, numerous studies have been published regarding pathogenicity, vaccination, and host immunity-virus interaction. In particular, innate immunity serves as the first line of defense against invasive pathogens and plays an important role in the pathogenetic process of IBV infection. This review focuses on fundamental aspects of host innate immune responses after IBV infection, including identification of conserved viral structures and different components of host with antiviral activity, which could provide useful information for novel vaccine development, vaccination strategies, and intervention programs.

A Comparative Analysis of Coronavirus Nucleocapsid (N) Proteins Reveals the SADS-CoV N Protein Antagonizes IFN-β Production by Inducing Ubiquitination of RIG-I

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are a known global threat, and most recently the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 2 million human lives. Delays and interference with IFN responses are closely associated with the severity of disease caused by CoV infection. As the most abundant viral protein in infected cells just after the entry step, the CoV nucleocapsid (N) protein likely plays a key role in IFN interruption. We have conducted a comprehensive comparative analysis and report herein that the N proteins of representative human and animal CoVs from four different genera [swine acute diarrhea syndrome CoV (SADS-CoV), porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV (SARS-CoV), SARS-CoV-2, Middle East respiratory syndrome CoV (MERS-CoV), infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV)] suppress IFN responses by multiple strategies. In particular, we found that the N protein of SADS-CoV interacted with RIG-I independent of its RNA binding activity, mediating K27-, K48- and K63-linked ubiquitination of RIG-I and its subsequent proteasome-dependent degradation, thus inhibiting the host IFN response. These data provide insight into the interaction between CoVs and host, and offer new clues for the development of therapies against these important viruses.

Functions of Coronavirus Accessory Proteins: Overview of the State of the Art

Coronavirus accessory proteins are a unique set of proteins whose genes are interspersed among or within the genes encoding structural proteins. Different coronavirus genera, or even different species within the same coronavirus genus, encode varying amounts of accessory proteins, leading to genus- or species-specificity. Though accessory proteins are dispensable for the replication of coronavirus in vitro, they play important roles in regulating innate immunity, viral proliferation, and pathogenicity. The function of accessory proteins on virus infection and pathogenesis is an area of particular interest. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on accessory proteins of several representative coronaviruses that infect humans or animals, including the emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), with an emphasis on their roles in interaction between virus and host, mainly involving stress response, innate immunity, autophagy, and apoptosis. The cross-talking among these pathways is also discussed.

Interplay of the ubiquitin proteasome system and the innate immune response is essential for the replication of infectious bronchitis virus

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is the only coronavirus known to infect poultry. The replication and pathogenesis of IBV are poorly understood, mainly because of the unavailability of a robust cell culture system. Here, we report that an active ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) is necessary for efficient replication of IBV in Vero cells. Synthesis of IBV-specific RNA as well as viral protein is hampered in the presence of chemical inhibitors specific for the UPS. Like other coronaviruses, IBV encodes a papain-like protease (PLpro) that exhibits in vitro deubiquitinase activity in addition to proteolytically processing the replicase polyprotein. Our results show that the IBV PLpro enzyme inhibits the synthesis of interferon beta (IFNβ) in infected chicken embryonic fibroblast (DF-1) cells and that this activity is enhanced in the presence of melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5 (MDA5) and TANK binding kinase 1 (TBK1). IBV PLpro, when overexpressed in DF-1 cells, deubiquitinates MDA5 and TBK1. Both of these proteins, along with other adapter molecules such as MAVS, IKKε, and IRF3, form a signaling cascade for the synthesis of IFNβ. Ubiquitination of MDA5 and TBK1 is essential for their activation, and their deubiquitination by IBV PLpro renders them unable to participate in antiviral signaling. This study shows for the first time that there is cross-talk between the UPS and the innate immune response during IBV infection and that the deubiquitinase activity of IBV PLpro is involved in its activity as an IFN antagonist. This insight will be useful for designing better antivirals targeting the catalytic activity of the IBV PLpro enzyme.

Chlorogenic acid is a positive regulator of MDA5, TLR7 and NF-κB signaling pathways mediated antiviral responses against Gammacoronavirus infection

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a phenolic compound that has been well studied for its antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immune stimulating properties. This research was aimed to focus on the antiviral properties of CGA on infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in vivo and in vitro for the very first time. The outcome of in vitro experiments validated that, out of five previously reported antiviral components, CGA significantly reduced the relative mRNA expression of IBV-N in CEK cells. At high concentration (400 mg/kg), CGA supplementation reduced IBV-N mRNA expression levels and ameliorated the injury in trachea and lungs. The mRNA expression levels of IL-6, IL-1β, IL-12, and NF-κB were considerably turned down, but IL-22 and IL-10 were enhanced in trachea. However, CGA-H treatment had considerably increased the expression levels of MDA5, MAVS, TLR7, MyD88, IRF7, IFN-β and IFN-α both in trachea and lungs. Moreover, CGA-H notably induced the CD3+, CD3+ CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ proliferation and significantly increased the IgA, IgG, and IgM levels in the serum. In conclusion, these results showed that at high concentration CGA is a strong anti-IBV compound that can effectively regulate the innate immunity through MDA5, TLR7 and NF-κB signaling pathways and have the potential to induce the cell mediated and humoral immune response in IBV infected chickens.

Inhibition of anti-viral stress granule formation by coronavirus endoribonuclease nsp15 ensures efficient virus replication

Cytoplasmic stress granules (SGs) are generally triggered by stress-induced translation arrest for storing mRNAs. Recently, it has been shown that SGs exert anti-viral functions due to their involvement in protein synthesis shut off and recruitment of innate immune signaling intermediates. The largest RNA viruses, coronaviruses, impose great threat to public safety and animal health; however, the significance of SGs in coronavirus infection is largely unknown. Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) is the first identified coronavirus in 1930s and has been prevalent in poultry farm for many years. In this study, we provided evidence that IBV overcomes the host antiviral response by inhibiting SGs formation via the virus-encoded endoribonuclease nsp15. By immunofluorescence analysis, we observed that IBV infection not only did not trigger SGs formation in approximately 80% of the infected cells, but also impaired the formation of SGs triggered by heat shock, sodium arsenite, or NaCl stimuli. We further demonstrated that the intrinsic endoribonuclease activity of nsp15 was responsible for the interference of SGs formation. In fact, nsp15-defective recombinant IBV (rIBV-nsp15-H238A) greatly induced the formation of SGs, along with accumulation of dsRNA and activation of PKR, whereas wild type IBV failed to do so. Consequently, infection with rIBV-nsp15-H238A strongly triggered transcription of IFN-β which in turn greatly affected rIBV-nsp15-H238A replication. Further analysis showed that SGs function as an antiviral hub, as demonstrated by the attenuated IRF3-IFN response and increased production of IBV in SG-defective cells. Additional evidence includes the aggregation of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and signaling intermediates to the IBV-induced SGs. Collectively, our data demonstrate that the endoribonuclease nsp15 of IBV interferes with the formation of antiviral hub SGs by regulating the accumulation of viral dsRNA and by antagonizing the activation of PKR, eventually ensuring productive virus replication. We further demonstrated that nsp15s from PEDV, TGEV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 harbor the conserved function to interfere with the formation of chemically-induced SGs. Thus, we speculate that coronaviruses employ similar nsp15-mediated mechanisms to antagonize the host anti-viral SGs formation to ensure efficient virus replication.

Coronavirus encodes the conserved endoribonuclease nsp15, which has been reported to antagonize IFN responses by mediating evasion of recognition by dsRNA sensors. SGs are part of the host cell anti-viral response; not surprisingly, viruses in turn produce an array of antagonists to counteract such host response. Here, we show that IBV prevents the formation of SGs via nsp15, by reducing the accumulation of viral dsRNA, thereby evading the activation of PKR, phosphorylation of eIF2α, and formation of SGs. Depletion of SG scaffold proteins G3BP1/2 decreases IRF3-IFN response and increases the production of IBV. When overexpressed alone, nsp15s from different coronaviruses (IBV, PEDV, TGEV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2) interferes with chemically- and physically-induced SGs, probably by targeting essential SGs assembly factors. In this way, coronaviruses antagonize the formation of SGs by nsp15, via reducing the viral dsRNA accumulation and sequestering/depleting critical component of SGs. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the role of coronavirus nsp15 in the suppression of integral stress response, in crosstalk with anti-innate immune response.

Cytokine inducible SH2-containing protein potentiate J subgroup avian leukosis virus replication and suppress antiviral responses in DF-1 chicken fibroblast cells

Cytokine-inducible Srchomology2 (SH2)-containing protein (CIS) belongs to the suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) protein family function as a negative feedback loop inhibiting cytokine signal transduction. J subgroup avian leukosis virus (ALV-J), a commonly-seen avian virus with a feature of immunosuppression, poses an unmeasurable threat to the poultry industry across the world. However, commercial medicines or vaccines are still no available for this virus. This study aims to evaluate the potential effect of chicken CIS in antiviral response and its role on ALV-J replication. The results showed that ALV-J strain SCAU-HN06 infection induced CIS expression in DF-1 cells, which was derived from chicken embryo free of endogenous avian sarcoma-leukosis virus (ASLV) like sequences. By overexpressing CIS, the expression of chicken type I interferon (IFN-I) and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs; PKR, ZAP, CH25H, CCL4, IFIT5, and ISG12) were both suppressed. Meanwhile, data showed that CIS overexpression also increased viral yield. Interestingly, knockdown of CIS enhanced induction of IFN-I and ISGs and inhibited viral replication. Collectively, we proved that modulation of CIS expression not only affected SCAU-HN06 replication in vitro but also altered the expression of IFN-I and ISGs that act as an essential part of antiviral innate immune system. Our data provide a potential target for developing antiviral agents for ALV-J.

Identification and analysis of long non-coding RNAs and mRNAs in chicken macrophages infected with avian infectious bronchitis coronavirus

BACKGROUND

Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a gamma coronavirus that severely affects the poultry industry worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), a subset of non-coding RNAs with a length of more than 200 nucleotides, have been recently recognized as pivotal factors in the pathogenesis of viral infections. However, little is known about the function of lncRNAs in host cultured cells in response to IBV infection.

RESULTS

We used next-generation high throughput sequencing to reveal the expression profiles of mRNAs and lncRNAs in IBV-infected HD11 cells. Compared with the uninfected cells, we identified 153 differentially expressed (DE) mRNAs (106 up-regulated mRNAs, 47 down-regulated mRNAs) and 181 DE lncRNAs (59 up-regulated lncRNAs, 122 down-regulated lncRNAs) in IBV-infected HD11 cells. Moreover, gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses indicated that DE mRNAs and lncRNAs were mainly involved in cellular innate immunity, amino acid metabolism, and nucleic acid metabolism. In addition, 2640 novel chicken lncRNAs were identified, and a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNAs) network centered on gga-miR-30d and miR-146a-5p was established.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified expression profiles of mRNAs and lncRNAs during IBV infection that provided new insights into the pathogenesis of IBV.

A highly pathogenic recombinant infectious bronchitis virus with adaptability in cultured cells

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) of GI-19 (QX), GI-7 (TW), GI-13 (4/91) and GI-1 (Mass) lineages have been frequently detected in China in recent years. Here, An IBV strain, referred as GD17/04, was isolated from the dead yellow feather chicken vaccinated with H52 and 4/91 vaccines, whose genome sequence was obtained through high-throughput sequencing. Then it has been confirmed by the RDP and SimPlot analysis that GD17/04 is a recombinant strain deriving from YX10, 4/91, TW 2575/98 and H52 strains. Therein S1 gene of GD17/04 consists of sequences of TW2575/98 and 4/91, the former for the region of 20,371 to 21,072 nt and 21,847 to 21,975 nt, the latter for the sandwiched region of 21,073 to 21,846 nt. Moreover, as a nephropathogenic variant which caused high morbidity of 100 % and mortality of 60 %, unlike most other IBV strains, GD17/04 can cause obvious cell lesion in primary CEK cell, and even in DF-1 cells, without the process of continuous passage. As the few IBV strain can infect avian passage cell line, GD17/04 provides a material basis for further study of the interaction mechanism between IBV and avian host. Collectively, the findings highlight the significance that biological characteristics of novel strain should be studied, in addition to constant epidemiologic and molecular surveillance for IBV.

Emerging infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in Egypt: Evidence for an evolutionary advantage of a new S1 variant with a unique gene 3ab constellation

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a gamma-coronavirus, causes infectious bronchitis (IB), a major respiratory disease of chicken. Its high mutation rate in conjunction with recombination of the RNA genome constantly creates IBV variants that are difficult to control by currently available vaccines. In this study, we addressed the question whether small-scale holdings might harbor IBV variants that serve as a reservoir for newly emerging variants. Egyptian IBV isolate EGY/NR725/2016 (NR725/16) from a small-scale broiler farm was assigned to genotype I, clade 23 (S1:GI-23), based on partial S1 gene sequences and corroborated by full genome sequencing. Analysis of the S1 gene established three subclades for historical IBV strains (S1:GI-23.1, S1:GI-23.2.1 and S1:GI-23.2.2) and confirmed NR725/16 as being part of a separate fourth subclade (S1:GI-23.3). Samples from the years 2018 and 2019 revealed that the new subclade prevails in Egypt, carrying fixed mutations within the hypervariable regions (HVR) 1-3 of the S1 protein that affect two neutralization sensitive epitopes at sites 294F, 297S and 306Y (48.2) and 329R (62.1). In addition, recombination was recognized in isolate NR 725/16, with intra-subtype mixing for the entire genes 3ab and E and inter-subtype mixing for the entire gene 6b with a close match to QX like viruses of genotype GI-19. Further analysis of gene 3ab detected the homologous gene pool to NR725/16 in samples from 2013 (3ab:C) and closely related 3ab genotypes in IBV Egyptian isolates from 2016, 2018 and 2019. These data prove a flourishing exchange between poultry holdings with a common gene pool. The continued circulation of viruses harboring genes S1:GI-23.3 and 3ab:C indicates an evolutionary advantage of this combination possibly by combining antigenic escape with modulated pathogenicity to facilitate IBV spread in the vaccinated poultry population in Egypt.

Coronavirus: proteomics analysis of chicken kidney tissue infected with variant 2 (IS-1494)-like avian infectious bronchitis virus

Avian infectious bronchitis virus is one of the most important gammacoronaviruses, which causes a highly contagious disease. In this study, we investigated changes in the proteome of kidney tissue of specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens that were infected with an isolate of the nephrotropic variant 2 genotype (IS/1494/06) of avian coronavirus. Twenty 1-day-old SPF White Leghorn chickens were randomly divided into two groups, each comprising 10 chickens, which were kept in separate positive-pressure isolators. Chickens in group A served as a virus-free control group up to the end of the experiment, whereas chickens in group B were inoculated with 0.1 ml of 10^4.5 EID₅₀ of the IBV/chicken/Iran/UTIVO-C/2014 isolate of IBV, and kidney tissue samples were collected at 2 and 7 days post-inoculation (dpi) from both groups. Sequencing of five protein spots at 2 dpi and 22 spots at 7 dpi that showed differential expression by two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE) along with fold change greater than 2 was done by MS-MALDI/TOF/TOF. Furthermore, the corresponding protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks at 2 and 7 dpi were identified to develop a detailed understanding of the mechanism of molecular pathogenesis. Topological graph analysis of this undirected PPI network revealed the effect of 10 genes in the 2 dpi PPI network and nine genes in the 7 dpi PPI network during virus pathogenesis. Proteins that were found by 2DE analysis and MS/TOF-TOF mass spectrometry to be down- or upregulated were subjected to PPI network analysis to identify interactions with other cellular components. The results show that cellular metabolism was altered due to viral infection. Additionally, multifunctional heat shock proteins with a significant role in host cell survival may be employed circuitously by the virus to reach its target. The data from this study suggest that the process of pathogenesis that occurs during avian coronavirus infection involves the regulation of vital cellular processes and the gradual disruption of critical cellular functions.

Induction of Chicken Host Defense Peptides within Disease-Resistant and -Susceptible Lines

Host defense peptides (HDPs) are multifunctional immune molecules that respond to bacterial and viral pathogens. In the present study, bone marrow-derived cells (BMCs) and chicken embryonic fibroblasts (CEFs) were cultured from a Leghorn line (Ghs6) and Fayoumi line (M15.2), which are inbred chicken lines relatively susceptible and resistant to various diseases, respectively. The cells were treated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) and, subsequently, mRNA expression of 20 chicken HDPs was analyzed before and after the stimulation. At homeostasis, many genes differed between the chicken lines, with the Fayoumi line having significantly higher expression (p < 0.05) than the Leghorn line: AvBD1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 in BMCs; CATH1, CATH3, and GNLY in CEFs; and AvDB5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 in both BMCs and CEFs. After LPS treatment, the expression of AvBD1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 12, CATH1, and CATHB1 was significantly upregulated in BMCs, but no genes changed expression in CEFs. After poly(I:C) treatment, AvBD2, 11, 12, 13, CATHB1 and LEAP2 increased in both cell types; CATH2 only increased in BMCs; and AvBD3, 6, 9, 14, CATH1, CATH3, and GNLY only increased in CEFs. In addition, AvBD7, AvBD14, CATH1, CATH2, GNLY, and LEAP2 showed line-specific expression dependent upon cell type (BMC and CEF) and stimulant (LPS and poly(I:C)). The characterization of mRNA expression patterns of chicken HDPs in the present study suggests that their functions may be associated with multiple types of disease resistance in chickens.

Immunopathogenesis of infectious bronchitis virus Q1 in specific pathogen free chicks

The immunopathogenesis of avian coronavirus, infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) Q1, was investigated in specific pathogen free chicks. Following infection, chicks exhibited respiratory clinical signs and reduced body weight. Oropharyngeal (OP) and cloacal (CL) swabs were collected at intervals and found to be RT-PCR positive, with a greater number of partial-S1 amino acid changes noted in CL swabs compared to OP swabs. In tissue samples, IBV viral load peaked 9 days post infection (dpi) in the trachea and kidneys, and 14 dpi in the proventriculus. At 28 dpi, ELISA data showed that 63% of infected chicks seroconverted. There was significantly higher mRNA up-regulation of IFN-α, TLR3, MDA5, LITAF, IL-1β and IL-6 in the trachea compared to the kidneys. Findings presented here demonstrate that this Q1 isolate induces greater lesions and host innate immune responses in chickens' tracheas compared to the kidneys.

Cytokine Responses in Tracheas from Major Histocompatibility Complex Congenic Chicken Lines with Distinct Susceptibilities to Infectious Bronchitis Virus

The chicken major histocompatibility complex (MHC) B locus has been linked to resistance to infectious diseases. We have previously provided evidence that the MHC congenic chicken lines 331/B2 and 335/B19 differ in susceptibility to infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strains M41 and ArkDPI in in vivo challenge experiments. Innate immune responses can be difficult to measure in vivo because they are nonspecific and can be triggered by environmental factors. In an attempt to address this issue, we used tracheal organ cultures derived from 331/B2 and 335/B19 birds to study local cytokine production after in vitro challenge with IBV M41. Interferon (IFN)-β, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and IL-10 gene expression and production were assessed. Tracheal organ cultures derived from 335/B19 birds presented an increased inflammatory response compared to 331/B2. However, it was not possible to discriminate between cytokine responses in IBV-infected and phosphate-buffered saline-treated tracheal organ cultures. Because tracheal processing entails physical damage to the trachea, it is possible that the tracheal organ cultures presented high levels of inflammation regardless of the IBV challenge. To demonstrate the effects of IBV on innate immune responses in the MHC congenic chicken lines, we performed an additional in vivo experiment that focused on cytokine gene expression and production in tracheas up to 60 hr after a challenge with IBV M41. Our results corroborate previous in vivo observations that suggest that detrimental local inflammatory responses in 335/B19 birds might be associated with their susceptibility to IBV and that inflammation does not necessarily lead to the assembly of an appropriate adaptive immune response. This work provides further insight into the increased susceptibility of 335/B19 birds to infectious bronchitis.

The Characterization of chIFITMs in Avian Coronavirus Infection In Vivo, Ex Vivo and In Vitro

The coronaviruses are a large family of enveloped RNA viruses that commonly cause gastrointestinal or respiratory illnesses in the infected host. Avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a highly contagious respiratory pathogen of chickens that can affect the kidneys and reproductive systems resulting in bird mortality and decreased reproductivity. The interferon-inducible transmembrane (IFITM) proteins are activated in response to viral infections and represent a class of cellular restriction factors that restrict the replication of many viral pathogens. Here, we characterize the relative mRNA expression of the chicken IFITM genes in response to IBV infection, in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro using the pathogenic M41-CK strain, the nephropathogenic QX strain and the nonpathogenic Beaudette strain. In vivo we demonstrate a significant upregulation of chIFITM1, 2, 3 and 5 in M41-CK- and QX-infected trachea two days post-infection. In vitro infection with Beaudette, M41-CK and QX results in a significant upregulation of chIFITM1, 2 and 3 at 24 h post-infection. We confirmed a differential innate response following infection with distinct IBV strains and believe that our data provide new insights into the possible role of chIFITMs in early IBV infection.

Anti-chicken type I IFN countermeasures by major avian RNA viruses

Chicken type I interferons (type I IFNs) are key antiviral players of the chicken innate immune system and are considered potent antiviral agents against avian viral pathogens. Chicken type I IFNs are divided into three subtypes namely, chIFN-α, chIFN-β, and chIFN-κ. Viral pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) recognized by their corresponding specific PRRs (pattern recognition receptors) induce the expression of chicken type I IFNs. Interaction of chicken type I IFNs with their subsequent IFN receptors results in the activation of the JAK-STAT pathway, which in turn activates hundreds of chicken interferon-stimulated genes (chISGs). These chISGs establish an antiviral state in neighboring cells and prevent the replication and dissemination of viruses within chicken cells. Chicken type I IFNs activate different pathways that constitute major antiviral innate defense mechanisms in chickens. However, evolutionary mechanisms in viruses have made them resistant to these antiviral players by manipulating host innate immune pathways. This review focuses on the underlying molecular mechanisms employed by avian RNA viruses to counteract chicken type I IFNs and chISGs through different viral proteins. This may help to understand host-pathogen interactions and the development of novel therapeutic strategies to control viral infections in poultry.

Overview of lethal human coronaviruses

Coronavirus infections of multiple origins have spread to date worldwide, causing severe respiratory diseases. Seven coronaviruses that infect humans have been identified: HCoV-229E, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-NL63, HCoV-HKU1, SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. Among them, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV caused outbreaks in 2002 and 2012, respectively. SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) is the most recently discovered. It has created a severe worldwide outbreak beginning in late 2019, leading to date to over 4 million cases globally. Viruses are genetically simple, yet highly diverse. However, the recent outbreaks of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, and the ongoing outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, indicate that there remains a long way to go to identify and develop specific therapeutic treatments. Only after gaining a better understanding of their pathogenic mechanisms can we minimize viral pandemics. This paper mainly focuses on SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. Here, recent studies are summarized and reviewed, with a focus on virus-host interactions, vaccine-based and drug-targeted therapies, and the development of new approaches for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Infectious bronchitis virus inhibits activation of the TLR7 pathway, but not the TLR3 pathway

Various strains of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) cause different forms of infectious bronchitis with different clinical signs. Here, primary chicken embryo kidney (CEK) cells and specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens were infected with three pathogenic IBV strains, and it was observed that the TLR7-MYD88 pathway was inhibited but the TLR3-TIRF pathway was activated. After treatment with poly(I:C)-LMW, poly (I:C)-LMW/LyoVec, and Imiquimod, the replication of IBV was significantly suppressed after 24 h. However, treatment with TLR3 pathway inhibitors such as Pepinh-TRIF, celastrol, chloroquine, and BX795 resulted in increased replication of IBV after 36 h. These results also showed that chloroquine and celastrol were most effective inhibitors of the antiviral response at 48 hpi.

Infectious Bronchitis Virus Regulates Cellular Stress Granule Signaling

Viruses must hijack cellular translation machinery to express viral genes. In many cases, this is impeded by cellular stress responses. These stress responses result in the global inhibition of translation and the storage of stalled mRNAs, into RNA-protein aggregates called stress granules. This results in the translational silencing of the majority of mRNAs excluding those beneficial for the cell to resolve the specific stress. For example, the expression of antiviral factors is maintained during viral infection. Here we investigated stress granule regulation by Gammacoronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), which causes the economically important poultry disease, infectious bronchitis. Interestingly, we found that IBV is able to inhibit multiple cellular stress granule signaling pathways, whilst at the same time, IBV replication also results in the induction of seemingly canonical stress granules in a proportion of infected cells. Moreover, IBV infection uncouples translational repression and stress granule formation and both processes are independent of eIF2α phosphorylation. These results provide novel insights into how IBV modulates cellular translation and antiviral stress signaling.

Effects of Chicken MHC Haplotype on Resistance to Distantly Related Infectious Bronchitis Viruses

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) B locus of chickens has been associated with resistance to different viral diseases. We previously provided evidence that chicken lines expressing MHC haplotypes B2 and B19 exhibit different resistance to a challenge with infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) Massachusetts 41 (M41). In the current study, we attempted to determine if those differences were true for genetically diverse IB viruses, i.e., IBV M41 and Arkansas-Delmarva poultry industry (ArkDPI). Clinical, pathologic, molecular, and immunologic outcomes were compared. Our results showed subtle clinical and pathologic differences between the two MHC chicken lines tested. Clinical differences were observed in respiratory signs at 2 days postinfection (dpi) in M41-infected birds. Pathologic differences were detected in viral load at 2 dpi in M41-infected birds and in tracheal epithelial thickness at 6 dpi in ArkDPI-infected birds. Substantial differences were observed in antibody responses at 14 dpi. The transcriptome analysis showed that B19 chickens highly expressed genes related to inflammatory and innate immune responses. This increased immune gene expression detected in B19 birds at 6 dpi did not lead to enhanced antibody production at 14 dpi. On the other hand, B2-haplotype chickens highly expressed genes related to cell responses, suggesting that B2 is able to diligently control the infection. Although not identical, genes triggered by M41 and ArkDPI are part of communal pathways and suggest similar immune and cell responses to both IBV genotypes. This work provides modest evidence for differential resistance to IBV by chickens displaying different MHC haplotypes as well as insights into the expression of a variety of genes after IBV replication in the host.

Effect of TLR agonist on infections bronchitis virus replication and cytokine expression in embryonated chicken eggs

Avian infectious bronchitis (IB) is an acute, highly infectious and contagious viral disease of chickens caused by avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) belonging to the genus Coronavirus and family Coronaviridae. It can affect all age groups of birds. The toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a major class of innate immune pattern recognition receptors that have a key role in immune response and defense against various infections.The TLRs are essential for initiation of innate immune responses and in the development of adaptive immune responses. An in ovo model was employed to study the antiviral activity of TLR ligands (Pam3CSK4, LPS and CpG ODN) on replication of IBV. It was hypothesized that optimum dose and specific timing of TLR ligands may reduce viral load of IBV in specific pathogen free (SPF) embryonated chicken eggs (ECEs). Further, the mechanism involved in the TLR-mediated antiviral response in chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of ECEs was investigated. The ECEs of 9-11 days old were treated with different doses (high, intermediate and low) of TLR-2 (Pam3CSK4), TLR-4 (LPS) and TLR-21 (CpG ODN) ligands. In addition, to know the timing of TLR ligand treatment, six time intervals were analyzed viz. 36, 24 and 12 h prior to infection, time of infection (co-administration of TLR ligands and avian IBV) and 12 and 24 h post-IBV infection. For studying the relative expression of immuno-stimulatory genes (IFN-α, IFN-β, IFN-γ, IL-1β, iNOS and OAS) in CAM, TLR ligands were administered through intra-allantoicroute and CAM were collected at 4, 8 and 16 h post treatment. The results demonstrated that intermediate dose of all the three TLR ligands significantly reduced virus titers and used in the present study. However, the LPS reduced virus titer pre- and post-IBV infection but Pam3CSK4 and CpG ODN reduced only pre-IBV infection. Further analysis showed that TLR ligands induced IFN-γ, IL-1β and IFN stimulated genes viz. iNOS and OAS genes in CAM. The present study pointed towards the novel opportunities for rational design of LPS as immuno-stimulatory agent in chickens with reference to IBV. It may be speculated that in ovo administration of these TLR ligands may enhance resistance against viral infection in neonatal chicken and may contribute towards the development of more effective and safer vaccines including in ovo vaccines.

A novel low virulent respiratory infectious bronchitis virus originating from the recombination of QX, TW and 4/91 genotype strains in China

In China, variants of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) evolve continually and diverse recombinant strains have been reported. Here, an IBV strain, designated as ck/CH/LJX/2017/07 (referred as JX17) was isolated from chicken vaccinated with H120 and 4/91 in Jiangxi, China, in 2017. Sequence analysis reveals of the S1 gene of JX17 the highest nucleotide identity of 98.15% with that of GI-7 genotype TW2575/98 strain. Furthermore, whole genome analysis among JX17 and other 18 IBV strains demonstrates that JX17 has the highest nucleotide identity of 95.94% with GI-19 genotype YX10 strain. Among all genes of JX17 except the S1 gene, the N gene and 3' UTR have the highest identity to GI-13 genotype 4/91 strain and the rest genes are the most identical to GI-19 genotype YX10 strain. Analyzed by the RDP and SimPlot, the recombination of JX17 strain was shown to occur in regions which include 5'-terminal S1 gene (20,344 to 22,447 nt), most N gene and 3' UTR (26,163 to 27,648 nt). The pathogenicity study shows that JX17 is a natural low virulent IBV variant which caused respiratory symptoms but no death. Taken together, these results indicate that IBV strains continue to evolve through genetic recombination and three prevalent genotypes in China including QX, TW and 4/91 have started to recombine.

Pathogenicity of a QX-like strain of infectious bronchitis virus and effects of accessory proteins 3a and 3b in chickens

QX-like genotype infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) has become prevalent in recent years. Few studies have reported the effects of accessory proteins 3a and 3b on pathogenicity in vivo. We developed a reverse genetics system to manipulate the genome of a QX-like IBV strain IBYZ. Recombinant viruses rIBYZ-ScAUG3a, rIBYZ-ScAUG3b and rIBYZ-ScAUG3ab were generated. These viruses do not express the accessory proteins 3a, 3b, or 3ab due to a mutation in the AUG start codons. In SPF embryonated eggs, the recombinant viruses grew to the same viral load as parental strain rIBYZ. The pathogenicity of rIBYZ and recombinant viruses was examined in 1-day-old SPF chickens. In SPF chickens, rIBYZ-ScAUG3a had a lower mortality than rIBYZ. The clinical signs, gross lesions and histopathological changes of rIBYZ-ScAUG3a group were comparable to those of rIBYZ group. However, viral distribution and viral shedding showed that the viral loads of rIBYZ-ScAUG3a were lower than those of rIBYZ in tissue samples and swab specimens. The rIBYZ-ScAUG3b and rIBYZ-ScAUG3ab strains showed attenuated pathogenicity compared to rIBYZ, as no chickens died and all the parameters tested were considerably low. This study indicates that the absence of accessory proteins 3a and 3b in IBV lead to attenuated pathogenicity in chickens. Protein 3b has a greater effect on pathogenicity than protein 3a. These findings may be used in vaccination trials for the development of a new live-attenuated vaccine.

Isolation and Identification of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus and Its Effect on Host Natural Immune Response

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is a highly infectious intestinal disease caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). A PEDV strain was isolated from the piglet intestinal tract in Vero cells in Jiangsu Province, designated as the JS-A strain. PEDV was identified as the isolated virus by cytopathology, immunofluorescence assay, western blotting, transmission electron microscopy, and sequence analysis. The full-length genome of the JS-A isolate and the S gene were systematically analyzed, indicating that PEDV JS-A belongs to the G2a subtype, which is closely related to the prevalent PEDV in many countries and different from many current vaccines. Animal regression tests showed that piglets that are orally infected with the virus continue to develop diarrhea with yellowish and unpleasant odors. Further, piglets showed reduced food consumption and weight loss in the challenged group, while there were no abnormalities in the control group. In addition, Toll-like receptors (TLRs), RIG-I, and the downstream medium gene in the intestinal mucosa of newborn pigs infected with PEDV JS-A strain were studied. The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) was the only IgG transport receptor and protected IgG from degradation. Therefore, PEDV JS-A infection might inhibit FcRn expression by down-regulating TLRs and downstream signaling molecules. Taken together, isolation of the JS-A variant contributes to evolutionary analysis of the diarrhea virus. Further, the experimental infection model lays a foundation for further research related to vaccine development and the antiviral natural immune response of infected piglets, which helps us to better understand PEDV pathogenesis and immune mechanism.

Appropriate amount of W protein of avian avulavirus 1 benefits viral replication and W shows strain-dependent subcellular localization

In order to confirm the existence of W protein in Avian avulavirus 1 (AAvV-1) infected cells, two monoclonal antibodies were prepared. The presence of W protein in cells infected with lentogenic genotype II strain La Sota or velogenic genotype VII strain SG10 was confirmed with immunofluorescence and western blotting assays. W_SG10 localized to the cytoplasm, whereas W_{La Sota} localized to the nucleus. The influence of W protein was investigated in vitro and in vivo with two AAvV-1 strains defective in the W C-terminus. The growth kinetic curves and pathogenicity tests in 3-week-old SPF chickens both showed that the replication abilities of strains with C-terminally deleted W proteins were lower than that of the parental strain. Restoring the appropriate dose of W protein increased the viral titers of these strains. The expression validation and functional exploration of W protein will facilitate our understanding of pathogenic mechanism of AAvV-1.

AVIAN INNATE IMMUNITY WITH AN EMPHASIS ON CHICKEN MELANOMA DIFFERENTIATION-ASSOCIATED GENE 5 (MDA5)

Avian species have immune system to fight invading pathogens. The immune system comprises innate and adaptive immunity. Innate immunity relies on pattern recognition receptors to sense particular molecules present in pathogens, i.e. pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), or danger signals in the environment, i.e. danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Cytoplasmic retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I)-like receptors (RLRs) and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors (NLRs) are the sensors recognizing cytoplasmic PAMP and/or DAMP. Among common avian species, chickens do not have RIG-I whereas ducks and finches do. Therefore, the other RLR member, melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5), is believed to play an important role to recognize intracellular pathogens in chickens. Chicken MDA5 has been identified and its function determined. Chicken MDA5 maintains the same domain architecture compared with MDA5 analogs in other animal species. The expression of chicken MDA5 was upregulated when a synthetic double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), polyriboinosinic:polyribocytidylic acids (poly(I:C)), was transfected into chicken cells, whereas that did not change when cells were incubated with poly(I:C). The enhanced expression of chicken MDA5 in chicken cells upregulated the expression of chicken interferon-[Formula: see text] (IFN-[Formula: see text]). The infection of dsRNA infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) in non-immune cells triggered the activation of chicken MDA5 signaling pathway, leading to the production of IFN-[Formula: see text] and subsequent response of IFN-stimulated genes. Furthermore, in immune cells like macrophages, chicken MDA5 participated in sensing the infection of IBDV by activating downstream antiviral genes and molecules and modulating adaptive immunity.

On the contrary, one of cytoplasmic NLR member, NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3), was cloned and functionally characterized in chicken cells. Chicken NLRP3 conserved the same domain architecture compared with NLRP3 analogs in other animal species. Chicken NLRP3 was highly expressed in kidney, bursa of Fabricius and spleen. The production of mature chicken interleukin 1 [Formula: see text] (IL-1[Formula: see text] in chicken macrophages was stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment followed by short ATP exposure.

In summary, chicken MDA5 was a cytoplasmic dsRNA sensor that mediated the production of type I IFN upon ligand engagement, whereas NLRP3 sensed danger signals, such as ATP, in the cytoplasm and cleaved pro-IL-1[Formula: see text] to produce mature IL-1[Formula: see text]. Chicken MDA5 was not only involved in the activation of innate immune responses in non-immune and immune cells, but it also participated in modulating adaptive immunity in immune cells. Chicken NLRP3 participated in the production of mature chicken IL-1[Formula: see text] upon ligand engagement.

Differential expression of type I interferon mRNA and protein levels induced by virulent Marek's disease virus infection in chickens

Marek's disease virus (MDV), an α-herpesvirus targeting avian species, causes fatal Marek's disease (MD) in chickens. The host interferon (IFN) responses play a key role in resisting viral infection. However, host IFN responses following MDV infection in the chicken central immune organs (thymus and bursa of Fabricius), which contain numerous MDV target cells, is poorly understood. In this study, we performed animal experiments in specific pathogen-free chickens infected with two virulent MDV strains (BS/15 and Md5) or without infection as negative controls. Specifically, the type I IFN (IFN-α and IFN-β) transcriptional and proteomic expression levels at 7, 10, 14, 17, and 21 days post infection (dpi) were detected and analyzed. Our results indicated that the mRNA and protein expression levels of IFN-α and IFN-β in the thymus and bursa of Fabricius were mainly downregulated in cytolytic infection (such as 10 dpi) and reactivation (such as 17 dpi) stages, but not the latent (such as 14 dpi) stage of MDV infection, which was determined by comprehensively analyzing the MDV viral load and immune organ damage caused by MDV infection. These data suggest that MDV could inhibit the expression of host type I IFNs, which may be involved in the MDV-induced host immunosuppression and contribute to the immune escape of MDV from host immunity. Furthermore, we found that the downregulated expression of the host type I IFNs induced by BS/15 and Md5 infection was significantly different, which we speculated may be related to the diverse virulence and pathogenicity of MDV strains. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that MDV mostly inhibited the expression of type I IFNs in infected hosts, which may be associated to its pathogenesis.

A balanced game: chicken macrophage response to ALV-J infection

Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) infection can cause tumors and immunosuppression in infected chickens. Macrophages play a central role in host defense against invading pathogens. In this study, we discovered an interesting phenomenon: ALV-J replication is weakened from 3 hours post-infection (hpi) to 36 hpi, which was verified using Western blotting and RT-PCR. To further investigate the interaction between ALV-J and macrophages, transcriptome analysis was performed to analyze the host genes’ function in chicken primary monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM). Compared to the uninfected control, 624 up-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEG) and 341 down-regulated DEG at 3 hpi, and 174 up-regulated DEG and 87 down-regulated DEG at 36 hpi were identified in chicken MDM, respectively. ALV-J infection induced strong innate immune responses in chicken MDM at 3 hpi, instead of 36 hpi, according to the analysis results of Gene Ontology and KEGG pathway. Importantly, the host factors, such as up-regulated MIP-3α, IL-1β, iNOS, K60, IRG1, CH25H, NFKBIZ, lysozyme and OASL were involved in the host defense response during the course of ALV-J infection. On the contrary, up-regulated EX-FABP, IL4I1, COX-2, NFKBIA, TNFAIP3 and the Jak STAT pathway inhibitors including CISH, SOCS1 and SOCS3 are beneficial to ALV-J survival in chicken macrophages. We speculated that ALV-J tropism for macrophages helps to establish a latent infection in chicken MDM from 6 to 36 hpi. The present study provides a comprehensive view of the interactions between macrophages and ALV-J. It suggests the mechanisms of defense of chicken macrophages against ALV-J invasion and how ALV-J escape the host innate immune responses.

Truncated chicken MDA5 enhances the immune response to inactivated NDV vaccine

Melanoma Differentiation-Associated protein 5 (MDA5) is a cytoplasmic sensor for viral invasion and plays an important role in regulation of the immune response against Newcastle disease virus (NDV) in chickens. MDA5 was used as an adjuvant to enhance the humoral immune response against influenza virus. In the current study, truncated chicken MDA5 [1-483 aa, chMDA5(483aa)] expressed by recombinant adenovirus was administered to specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens to improve the immune response induced by inactivated NDV vaccine. A total of 156 SPF chickens were divided into six groups, and after two rounds of immunization, the humoral immune response, cell-mediated immune (CMI) response and the protective efficacy of the vaccines against NDV challenge were evaluated. The results showed that co-administration of chMDA5(483aa) expressed by adenovirus increased the NDV-specific antibody response by 1.7 times and chickens received chMDA5(483aa) also gained a higher level of CMI response. Consistently, the protective efficacy of the inactivated NDV vaccine against virulent NDV (vNDV) challenge was improved by co-administrate with chMDA5(483aa), as indicated by the reduced morbidity and pathological lesions, lower levels of viral load in organs and reduced virus shedding. Our study demonstrated that chMDA5(433aa) expressed by adenovirus could enhance the immune efficacy of inactivated NDV vaccine in chickens and could be a potential adjuvant candidate in developing chicken NDV vaccines.

Differential innate immune responses induced by classical and variant infectious bronchitis viruses in specific pathogen free chicks

Avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) continues to cause serious economic losses in global chicken production. Concurrent circulation of both classic and variant IBVs have been identified in most parts of the world, raising major challenges to global prevention and control efforts. Therefore, immunopathogenesis, particularly early host responses, needs to be better understood for effective control of diseases caused by different strains of IBVs. We investigated differing immunopathogenesis in chickens following infection with IS/885/00-like (885), QX-like (QX) and M41 IBV strains. We confirmed that the histopathological changes, proinflammatory and innate immune gene responses were induced to different magnitudes, depending on the IBV strain. Results indicated that upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines (such as IL-6 and IL-1β) and lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-alpha factor (LITAF) expression is induced by IBV M41 in the trachea and by IBV 885 and QX in the kidney, which mainly coincides with tracheal and renal histopathological lesions respectively caused by these strains. In addition, elevated levels of TLR3, MDA5 and IFN-β expression occurred concurrently with greater lesion severity in IBV infected trachea and kidney tissues. Overall, this study reports marked differences in the activation of early host responses by pathogenic IBV strains.

Recombinant live attenuated avian coronavirus vaccines with deletions in the accessory genes 3ab and/or 5ab protect against infectious bronchitis in chickens

Avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a respiratory pathogen of chickens, causing severe economic losses in poultry industry worldwide. Live attenuated viruses are widely used in both the broiler and layer industry because of their efficacy and ability to be mass applied. Recently, we established a novel reverse genetics system based on targeted RNA recombination to manipulate the genome of IBV strain H52. Here we explore the possibilities to attenuate IBV in a rational way in order to generate safe and effective vaccines against virulent IBV (van Beurden et al., 2017). To this end, we deleted the nonessential group-specific accessory genes 3 and/or 5 in the IBV genome by targeted RNA recombination and selected the recombinant viruses in embryonated eggs. The resulting recombinant (r) rIBV-Δ3ab, rIBV-Δ5ab, and rIBV-Δ3ab5ab could be rescued and grew to the same virus titer as recombinant and wild type IBV strain H52. Thus, genes 3ab and 5ab are not essential for replication in ovo. When administered to one-day-old chickens, rIBV-Δ3ab, rIBV-Δ5ab, and rIBV-Δ3ab5ab showed reduced ciliostasis as compared to rIBV H52 and wild type H52, indicating that the accessory genes contribute to the pathogenicity of IBV. After homologous challenge with the virulent IBV strain M41, all vaccinated chickens were protected against disease based on reduced loss of ciliary movement in the trachea compared to the non-vaccinated but challenged controls. Taken together, deletion of accessory genes 3ab and/or 5ab in IBV resulted in mutant viruses with an attenuated phenotype and the ability to induce protection in chickens. Hence, targeted RNA recombination based on virulent IBV provides opportunities for the development of a next generation of rationally designed live attenuated IBV vaccines.

Molecular characterization of whole genome sequence of infectious bronchitis virus 624I genotype confirms the close relationship with Q1 genotype

Infectious Bronchitis virus (IBV) genotype Q1 was detected for the first time in China in 1996, and then spread worldwide. The first report of Q1 genotype in Italy occurred in 2011 and a deep molecular investigation of a Q1 isolated in Italy in 2013 has led to speculation regarding the origin of this genotype. Phylogenetic analysis of the S1 sequence of a Q1 Italian strain revealed a close relationship with sequences of the 624I strains circulating in Italy in the early 1990s and this led to the idea that 624I was an ancestor of the Q1 genotype. Despite the fact that most heterogeneity of IBVs occurs in the S1 gene, the sequence analysis of this gene alone was not sufficient to confirm or deny this hypothesis. In the present study, an Italian 624I (gammaCoV/AvCov/Ck/Italy/IP14425/96) was fully sequenced for the first time and compared to all available complete Q1 genome sequences. This analysis confirmed the genetic correlation between GammaCoV/AvCov/Ck/Italy/IP14425/96 and Q1 strains, suggesting a common origin between 624I and Q1 genotypes.

Deletion of accessory genes 3a, 3b, 5a or 5b from avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus induces an attenuated phenotype both in vitro and in vivo

Avian coronavirus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) infects domestic fowl, resulting in respiratory disease and causing serious losses in unprotected birds. Its control is mainly achieved by using live attenuated vaccines. Here we explored the possibilities for rationally attenuating IBV to improve our knowledge regarding the function of IBV accessory proteins and for the development of next-generation vaccines with the recently established reverse genetic system for IBV H52 based on targeted RNA recombination and selection of recombinant viruses in embryonated eggs. To this aim, we selectively removed accessory genes 3a, 3b, 5a and 5b individually, and rescued the resulting recombinant (r) rIBV-Δ3a, rIBV-Δ3b, rIBV-Δ5a and rIBV-Δ5b. In vitro inoculation of chicken embryo kidney cells with recombinant and wild-type viruses demonstrated that the accessory protein 5b is involved in the delayed activation of the interferon response of the host after IBV infection. Embryo mortality after the inoculation of 8-day-old embryonated chicken eggs with recombinant and wild-type viruses showed that rIBV-Δ3b, rIBV-Δ5a and rIBV-Δ5b had an attenuated phenotype in ovo, with reduced titres at 6 h p.i. and 12 h p.i. for all viruses, while growing to the same titre as wild-type rIBV at 48 h p.i. When administered to 1-day-old chickens, rIBV-Δ3a, rIBV-Δ3b, rIBV-Δ5a and rIBV-Δ5b showed reduced ciliostasis in comparison to the wild-type viruses. In conclusion, individual deletion of accessory genes in IBV H52 resulted in mutant viruses with an attenuated phenotype.

Cryo-EM structure of infectious bronchitis coronavirus spike protein reveals structural and functional evolution of coronavirus spike proteins

As cell-invading molecular machinery, coronavirus spike proteins pose an evolutionary conundrum due to their high divergence. In this study, we determined the cryo-EM structure of avian infectious bronchitis coronavirus (IBV) spike protein from the γ-genus. The trimeric IBV spike ectodomain contains three receptor-binding S1 heads and a trimeric membrane-fusion S2 stalk. While IBV S2 is structurally similar to those from the other genera, IBV S1 possesses structural features that are unique to different other genera, thereby bridging these diverse spikes into an evolutionary spectrum. Specifically, among different genera, the two domains of S1, the N-terminal domain (S1-NTD) and C-terminal domain (S1-CTD), diverge from simpler tertiary structures and quaternary packing to more complex ones, leading to different functions of the spikes in receptor usage and membrane fusion. Based on the above structural and functional comparisons, we propose that the evolutionary spectrum of coronavirus spikes follows the order of α-, δ-, γ-, and β-genus. This study has provided insight into the evolutionary relationships among coronavirus spikes and deepened our understanding of their structural and functional diversity.