A recombinant classical swine fever virus stably expresses a marker gene

Establishment of a superinfection exclusion method for pestivirus titration using a recombinant reporter pestiviruses

Pestiviruses are classified into two biotypes based on their cytopathogenicity. As the majority of pestivirus field isolates are noncytopathogenic, their titration requires alternative methods rather than direct observation of cytopathogenic effects, such as immunostaining using specific antibodies or interference with cytopathogenic strains. However, these methods require microscopic observation to assess virus growth, which is time- and labor-intensive, especially when handling several samples. In this study, we developed a novel luciferase-based pestivirus titration method using the superinfection exclusion phenomenon with recombinant reporter pestiviruses that possessed an 11-amino-acid subunit derived from NanoLuc luciferase (HiBiT). In this method, swine kidney cells were inoculated with classical swine fever virus (CSFV) and superinfected with the reporter CSFV vGPE-/HiBiT 5 days postinoculation. Virus titer was determined based on virus growth measured in luminescence using the culture fluid 3 days after superinfection; the resultant virus titer was comparable to that obtained by immunoperoxidase staining. Furthermore, this method has proven to be applicable for the titration of border disease virus (BDV) by superinfection with both the homologous reporter BDV and heterologous reporter CSFV, suggesting that this novel virus titration method is a simple technique for automated virus detection based on the luciferase system.

Generation of a DNA-launched classical swine fever virus infectious clone packaged in bacterial artificial chromosome

Reverse genetics system offers powerful tool for the research of RNA viruses. The infectious clones of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) were commonly constructed either in high- or low-copy number plasmids and transcribed to infectious RNA using phage RNA-polymerases. Herein, the full-length genome of CSFV Shimen strain, flanked by cytomegalovirus immediate-early (CMV) promoter (a eukaryotic RNA polymerase II promoter) sequence at the 5'-end and the hepatitis delta virus ribozyme along with the bovine growth hormone termination and polyadenylation signal sequences at the 3'-end, was packaged in bacterial artificial chromosome vector to establish a CSFV infectious clone pBAC-smCSFV. This infectious cDNA clone maintained stability after passaged 20 times in bacteria. Transfection of PK15 cells with this cDNA clone facilitated recovery of infectious progeny virus which was identical to parent virus as characterized by RT-qPCR, western blotting, indirect immunofluorescence assay, one-step growth kinetics analysis and nucleotide sequencing. Based on this CSFV infectious cDNA clone, the mCherry was inserted between viral Npro and C protein to develop reporter virus CSFV-mCherry. The mCherry was stably expressed after CSFV-mCherry was passaged 10 times in PK15 cells. Taken together, this present study develops a concise and efficient CSFV infectious cDNA clone and a reporter virus CSFV-mCherry. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first combination of CMV promoter and BAC system in construction of CSFV reverse genetics system. The CSFV infectious cDNA clone and the reporter virus will be useful in the study of CSFV virus biology, virulence determinants, molecular pathogenesis, vaccine development and virus-host interaction.

Different Types of Vaccines against Pestiviral Infections: "Barriers" for "Pestis"

The genus Pestivirus of the family Flaviviridae mainly comprises classical swine fever virus (CSFV), bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 (BVDV-1), BVDV-2, border disease virus (BDV), and multiple new pestivirus species such as atypical porcine pestivirus (APPV), giraffe pestivirus, and antelope pestivirus. Pestiviruses cause infectious diseases, resulting in tremendous economic losses to animal husbandry. Different types of pestivirus vaccines have been developed to control and prevent these important animal diseases. In recent years, pestiviruses have shown great potential as viral vectors for developing multivalent vaccines. This review analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of various pestivirus vaccines, including live attenuated pestivirus strains, genetically engineered marker pestiviruses, and pestivirus-based multivalent vaccines. This review provides new insights into the development of novel vaccines against emerging pestiviruses, such as APPV and ovine pestivirus.

Characterization of a Cytopathogenic Reporter CSFV

Cytopathogenic (cp) pestiviruses frequently emerge in cattle that are persistently infected with the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) as a consequence of RNA recombination and mutation. They induce apoptosis in infected tissue cultures, are highly attenuated in the immunocompetent host, and unable to establish persistent infections after diaplacental infections. Cp strains of BVDV have been used as naturally attenuated live vaccines and for species-specific plaque reduction tests for the indirect serological detection of BVDV. Here, we present a genetically engineered cp strain of the classical swine fever virus (CSFV). Cytopathogenicity of the strain was induced by the insertion of ubiquitin embedded in a large NS3 to NS4B duplication. The CSFV RNA genome was stabilized by the inactivation of the NS2 autoprotease, hindering the deletion of the insertion and the reversion to a wild-type genome. Additional insertion of a mCherry gene at the 5'-end of the E2 gene allowed fluorescence-verified plaque reduction assays for CSFV, thus providing a novel, cost-efficient diagnostic tool. This genetically stabilized cp CSFV strain could be further used as a basis for potential new modified live vaccines. Taken together, we applied reverse genetics to rationally fixate a typical cp NS3 duplication in a CSFV genome.

Development and characterization of recombinant tick-borne encephalitis virus expressing mCherry reporter protein: A new tool for high-throughput screening of antiviral compounds, and neutralizing antibody assays

The flavivirus, tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is transmitted by Ixodes spp. ticks and may cause severe and potentially lethal neurological tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in humans. Studying TBEV requires the use of secondary methodologies to detect the virus in infected cells. To overcome this problem, we rationally designed and constructed a recombinant reporter TBEV that stably expressed the mCherry reporter protein. The resulting TBEV reporter virus (named mCherry-TBEV) and wild-type parental TBEV exhibited similar growth kinetics in cultured cells; however, the mCherry-TBEV virus produced smaller plaques. The magnitude of mCherry expression correlated well with progeny virus production but remained stable over <4 passages in cell culture. Using well-characterized antiviral compounds known to inhibit TBEV, 2'-C-methyladenosine and 2'-deoxy-2'-β-hydroxy-4'-azidocytidine (RO-9187), we demonstrated that mCherry-TBEV is suitable for high-throughput screening of antiviral drugs. Serum samples from a TBEV-vaccinated human and a TBEV-infected dog were used to evaluate the mCherry-based neutralization test. Collectively, recombinant mCherry-TBEV reporter virus described here provides a powerful tool to facilitate the identification of potential antiviral agents, and to measure levels of neutralizing antibodies in human and animal sera.

Development of a High-Throughput Serum Neutralization Test Using Recombinant Pestiviruses Possessing a Small Reporter Tag

A serum neutralization test (SNT) is an essential method for the serological diagnosis of pestivirus infections, including classical swine fever, because of the cross reactivity of antibodies against pestiviruses and the non-quantitative properties of antibodies in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In conventional SNTs, an immunoperoxidase assay or observation of cytopathic effect after incubation for 3 to 7 days is needed to determine the SNT titer, which requires labor-intensive or time-consuming procedures. Therefore, a new SNT, based on the luciferase system and using classical swine fever virus, bovine viral diarrhea virus, and border disease virus possessing the 11-amino-acid subunit derived from NanoLuc luciferase was developed and evaluated; this approach enabled the rapid and easy determination of the SNT titer using a luminometer. In the new method, SNT titers can be determined tentatively at 2 days post-infection (dpi) and are comparable to those obtained by conventional SNTs at 3 or 4 dpi. In conclusion, the luciferase-based SNT can replace conventional SNTs as a high-throughput antibody test for pestivirus infections.

Characterization of Recombinant Flaviviridae Viruses Possessing a Small Reporter Tag

The family Flaviviridae consists of four genera, Flavivirus, Pestivirus, Pegivirus, and Hepacivirus, and comprises important pathogens of human and animals. Although the construction of recombinant viruses carrying reporter genes encoding fluorescent and bioluminescent proteins has been reported, the stable insertion of foreign genes into viral genomes retaining infectivity remains difficult. Here, we applied the 11-amino-acid subunit derived from NanoLuc luciferase to the engineering of the Flaviviridae viruses and then examined the biological characteristics of the viruses. We successfully generated recombinant viruses carrying the split-luciferase gene, including dengue virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and bovine viral diarrhea virus. The stability of the viruses was confirmed by five rounds of serial passages in the respective susceptible cell lines. The propagation of the recombinant luciferase viruses in each cell line was comparable to that of the parental viruses. By using a purified counterpart luciferase protein, this split-luciferase assay can be applicable in various cell lines, even when it is difficult to transduce the counterpart gene. The efficacy of antiviral reagents against the recombinant viruses could be monitored by the reduction of luciferase expression, which was correlated with that of viral RNA, and the recombinant HCV was also useful to examine viral dynamics in vivo Taken together, our findings indicate that the recombinant Flaviviridae viruses possessing the split NanoLuc luciferase gene generated here provide powerful tools to understand viral life cycle and pathogenesis and a robust platform to develop novel antivirals against Flaviviridae viruses.IMPORTANCE The construction of reporter viruses possessing a stable transgene capable of expressing specific signals is crucial to investigations of viral life cycle and pathogenesis and the development of antivirals. However, it is difficult to maintain the stability of a large foreign gene, such as those for fluorescence and bioluminescence, after insertion into a viral genome. Here, we successfully generated recombinant Flaviviridae viruses carrying the 11-amino-acid subunit derived from NanoLuc luciferase and demonstrated that these viruses are applicable to in vitro and in vivo experiments, suggesting that these recombinant Flaviviridae viruses are powerful tools for increasing our understanding of viral life cycle and pathogenesis and that these recombinant viruses will provide a robust platform to develop antivirals against Flaviviridae viruses.

In vitro adaptation and genome analysis of a sub-subgenotype 2.1c isolate of classical swine fever virus

Classical swine fever (CSF) still causes substantial economic losses in the pig industry in China. This study reports the isolation and characterization of a field CSF virus named GD53/2011 from pig kidney tissue collected during a CSF outbreak in Guangdong province, China. Phylogenetic analysis based on the full-length E2 gene sequence revealed that this isolate belongs to CSFV sub-subgenotype 2.1c. To further understand the replication characteristics, GD53/2011 was subsequently adapted in PK-15 cells, and its full-length genome was sequenced. After adaptation in PK-15 cells, the titer of GD53/2011 was significantly increased from 10(3.39) TCID50/ml at passage 6 (F6) to 10(8.50) TCID50/ml at passage 46 (F46) with the peak titer obtained at 48 h post-inoculation. Sequence comparison revealed that the E(rns) gene at passages 6, 15, and 25 of GD53/2011 was identical to that in the original tissue, but one amino acid substitution (S476R) was detected at passages 35 and 46. Furthermore, E2 gene sequences at passages 6, 15, 25, 35, and 46 was found identical to that in the original tissue, indicating that the E2 gene was stable during CSF virus adaptation in PK-15 cells. Full-length protein sequence comparison of GD53/2011 with other 2.1 sub-subgenotype isolates showed that Core and NS5A, rather than E2, are more genetically variable. Taken together, a field CSFV strain GD53/2011 was isolated, fully sequenced, and adapted to high growth titer in PK-15 cells, which might be suitable for future studies on CSFV infection, replication, and vaccine development.

Generation and evaluation of a chimeric classical swine fever virus expressing a visible marker gene

Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is a noncytopathogenic virus, and the incorporation of an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) tag into the viral genome provides a means of direct monitoring of viral infection without immunostaining. It is well established that the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the CSFV plays an important role in viral RNA replication. Although CSFV carrying a reporter gene and chimeric CSFV have been generated and evaluated, a chimeric CSFV with a visible marker has not yet been reported. Here, we generated and evaluated a chimeric virus containing the EGFP tag and the 3'-UTR from vaccine strain HCLV (C-strain) in the genetic background of the highly virulent CSFV Shimen strain. The chimeric marker CSFV was fluorescent and had an approximately 100-fold lower viral titer, lower replication level of viral genome, and weaker fluorescence intensity than the recombinant CSFV with only the EGFP tag or the parental virus. Furthermore, the marker chimera was avirulent and displayed no viremia in inoculated pigs, which were completely protected from lethal CSFV challenge as early as 15 days post-inoculation. The chimeric marker virus was visible in vitro and attenuated in vitro and in vivo, which suggests that CSFV can be engineered to produce attenuated variants with a visible marker to facilitate in vitro studies of CSFV infection and replication and to develop of novel vaccines against CSF.

Generation of a recombinant classical swine fever virus stably expressing the firefly luciferase gene for quantitative antiviral assay

Classical swine fever (CSF), caused by classical swine fever virus (CSFV), is a highly contagious swine disease leading to significant economic losses worldwide. Vaccines are widely used to control the disease, and no CSFV-specific antivirals are currently available. To facilitate anti-CSFV molecule discovery, we developed a reporter virus CSFV-N(pro)Fluc stably expressing the firefly luciferase (Fluc) gene in the N(pro) gene. The reporter virus enabled more sensitive and convenient detection of the N(pro) protein expression and the viral replication by luciferase reporter assay than by traditional methods. The CSFV N(pro) protein was detectable as early as 4.5h post-infection. As a proof-of-concept for its utility in rapid antiviral screening, this reporter virus was used to quantify anti-CSFV neutralizing antibodies of 50 swine sera and to assess 12 small interfering RNAs targeting different regions of the CSFV genome. The results were comparable to those obtained by traditional methods. Taken together, the reporter virus CSFV-N(pro)Fluc represents a useful tool for rapid and quantitative screening and evaluation of antivirals against CSFV.

Visualization of the Npro protein in living cells using biarsenically labeling tetracysteine-tagged classical swine fever virus

Real-time fluorescence imaging of viral proteins in living cells is a valuable means to study virus-host interactions, and tetracysteine (TC)-biarsenical technology has been used in several viruses but not in classical swine fever virus (CSFV). Here, we generated CSFV mutants vSMTC385 or vSMTC412 bearing the small TC tag (CCPGCC) in the N-terminal region of the N(pro) protein. The mutants showed growth characteristics indistinguishable from that of the wild-type virus, and retained similar N(pro) subcellular localization to that of the parent virus. Furthermore, labeling with membrane-permeable biarsenical dye resulted in the fluorescent N(pro) protein in the context of virus infection. Finally, we showed that N(pro) was localized in the cytoplasm of CSFV-infected cells at 27 h post-infection (hpi) and present in the nucleus at 48 hpi, and the nuclear import and export was clearly observed from 36.5 to 37 hpi. Interestingly, our results demonstrated that N(pro) transported across the nuclear pores by passive diffusion, which might be prevented by exogenous interferon regulatory factor 3 interacting with N(pro). Taken together, biarsenical labeling allows real-time visualization of the nucleus import and export of the fluorescent N(pro) protein in CSFV-infected living cells.

Immunogenic and replicative properties of classical swine fever virus replicon particles modified to induce IFN-α/β and carry foreign genes

Virus replicon particles (VRP) are genetically engineered infectious virions incapable of generating progeny virus due to partial or complete deletion of at least one structural gene. VRP fulfil the criteria of a safe vaccine and gene delivery system. With VRP derived from classical swine fever virus (CSF-VRP), a single intradermal vaccination protects from disease. Spreading of the challenge virus in the host is however not completely abolished. Parameters that are critical for immunogenicity of CSF-VRP are not well characterized. Considering the importance of type I interferon (IFN-α/β) to immune defence development, we generated IFN-α/β-inducing VRP to determine how this would influence vaccine efficacy. We also evaluated the effect of co-expressing granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in the vaccine context. The VRP were capable of long-term replication in cell culture despite the presence of IFN-α/β. In vivo, RNA replication was essential for the induction of an immune response. IFN-α/β-inducing and GM-CSF-expressing CSF-VRP were similar to unmodified VRP in terms of antibody and peripheral T-cell responses, and in reducing the blood levels of challenge virus RNA. Importantly, the IFN-α/β-inducing VRP did show increased efficacy over the unmodified VRP in terms of B-cell and T-cell responses, when tested with secondary immune responses by in vitro restimulation assay.

Construction of an infectious chimeric classical swine fever virus containing the 5′UTR of bovine viral diarrhea virus, and its application as a universal internal positive control in real-time RT-PCR

RT-PCR is used widely as a diagnostic method to detect and differentiate pestiviruses. The construction of two chimeric classical swine fever virus (CSFV) recombinants based on a marker virus constructed previously [J. Virol. 72 (1998) 5318-5322] is described. These viruses, termed vA187CAT_5UTRBVD and vA187CAT_IRESBVD, contain the entire 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) or the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), respectively. Both chimeric viruses proved to be infectious in cell culture. Hence, the 5'UTR as well as the IRES element only of BVDV can substitute for the corresponding genome region of CSFV. Next, two sets of primers and corresponding dual-labeled TaqMan probes were designed; one detecting specifically a conserved but CSFV-specific area within the 5'UTR of wild-type CSFV, the other one targeting the CAT gene inserted in vA187CAT_5UTRBVD. The two primer/probe sets were combined in a closed-tube multiplex one-step RT-PCR. To monitor the entire extraction and detection process limited amounts of vA187CAT_5UTRBVD were added directly to clinical samples before RNA extraction. The multiplex RT-PCR proved to be as sensitive as the single primer/probe set method, but allowed the validation of each sample tested individually, based on the detection of the CAT marker gene. vA187CAT_5UTRBVD was also used successfully for foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) TaqMan RT-PCR. Therefore, it is considered a universal internal positive control for RT-PCR assays to exclude loss of RNA during extraction, or failure of amplification due to inhibitory substances present in the sample.

Establishment and application of bicistronic classical swine fever virus genomes for foreign gene expression and complementation of E2 deletion mutants

Bicistronic genomes of the classical swine fever virus (CSFV) strain Alfort/187 (A187) were established by insertion of a second cistron consisting of an internal ribosome entry site of the encephalomyocarditis virus and a coding sequence in the 3' untranslated region of the genome. Introduction of the selectable marker gene for neomycin phosphotransferase into the second cistron of the CSFV replicon A187 Delta E2-CAT allowed the establishment of porcine SK-6 cell lines constitutively expressing the respective bicistronic replicon RNA. In cells transfected with RNA representing the full-length viral genome and containing the gene coding for bacterial enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) in the second cistron infectious bicistronic virus was synthesized. Expression of EGFP in cells infected with this virus indicated the potential of CSFV as a viral vector. Finally, after insertion of the sequence encoding the signal peptide of the CSFV E2 protein followed either by the E2 or the E2-p7 sequence into the replicon A187 Delta E2 which carries an in frame deletion of 465 nucleotides in the E2 gene, infectious viruses vA187 Delta E2-IRES-sigE2 and vA187 Delta E2-IRES-sigE2p7, respectively, were obtained. This shows that E2 deletion mutants can be complemented by expression of E2 from a separate cistron.

A recombinant classical swine fever virus with a marker insertion in the internal ribosome entry site

Based on an infectious cDNA clone of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) strain Alfort/187 (Ruggli et al., J Virol 70, 3478-3487, 1996) a full-length cDNA was constructed harbouring a nonviral 44 base insertion in the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) within the 5' nontranslated region (5'NTR) of the genome. Genome size RNA transcribed in vitro served as a positive control in routine RT-PCR used to detect CSFV RNA in diagnostic material. Unexpectedly this RNA proved to be infectious upon transfection into susceptible cells. The replication kinetics of the resulting virus vA187-Ins44 were characterized and found to be indistinguishable from its parent virus. However, a deletion mutant with 29 of the 44 inserted bases missing was detected after multiple cell culture passages. RNA secondary structure analysis of the 5'NTR showed that the 44 base insertion destroyed a stem-loop structure and a pseudoknot previously described to be essential for virus replication, demonstrating that insertions within this functionally essential IRES element are tolerated by CSFV.

Laboratory diagnosis, epizootiology, and efficacy of marker vaccines in classical swine fever: a review

Detection of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) can be achieved by a range of assays of which the most commonly used are: immunohistochemical and virus culture techniques. New developments have enabled the detection of viral proteins by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and the detection of the viral genome by RT- PCR. So far, laboratory findings show that the latter assays may supplement or replace the conventional techniques in the near future. The detection of serum antibody against structural and non-structural proteins of CSFV has been improved by developments in recombinant DNA techniques and has lead to a range of ELISAs. Although the characteristics of these ELISAs are excellent, positive results still need to be confirmed in the virus neutralization test. The available amount of sequence data enables diagnosticians to type strains of CSFV as different by comparing several parts of the genome. In some cases, this can provide conclusive evidence if a primary or secondary outbreak has been detected. Increased efforts focused on the retrieval of relevant data on the introduction of CSFV in a pig holding and the spread of CSFV in- and between pig holding(s) has generated more insight into the epizootiology of the disease. A successful control and eradication programme for classical swine fever (CSF) can consist of zoosanitary measures and/or vaccination. The latter can compromise the export of live pigs and pig products considerably unless marker vaccines have been used. Several studies were performed to determine the efficacy of an E2 subunit vaccine and live recombinant vaccine candidates. Firstly, we determined the 95% protective dose of an E2 subunit vaccine at 32 microg E2 per dosage after a single application. Further studies with a single administration of the subunit vaccine showed that: the vaccine was stable for a prolonged period after production, was able to reduce horizontal and vertical transmission of CSFV among vaccinated pigs, and provided protection for at least 6 months. An E(rns) antibody discriminatory assay was developed for use in combination with the subunit vaccine. Evaluation of the E(rns) ELISA showed that the sensitivity of the assay was lower than but that the specificity was equal to that of existing antibody assays. Two live recombinant marker vaccines were evaluated for the induction of clinical protection and reduction of transmission of CSFV shortly after vaccination. Results showed that these vaccines provided good clinical protection 1 week after a single vaccination. Research has shown that marker vaccines can be used in the future to support the control and eradication of CSFV.

Generation and characterization of a hepatitis C virus NS3 protease-dependent bovine viral diarrhea virus

Unique to pestiviruses, the N-terminal protein encoded by the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) genome is a cysteine protease (Npro) responsible for a self-cleavage that releases the N terminus of the core protein (C). This unique protease is dispensable for viral replication, and its coding region can be replaced by a ubiquitin gene directly fused in frame to the core. To develop an antiviral assay that allows the assessment of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3 protease inhibitors, a chimeric BVDV in which the coding region of Npro was replaced by that of an NS4A cofactor-tethered HCV NS3 protease domain was generated. This cofactor-tethered HCV protease domain was linked in frame to the core protein of BVDV through an HCV NS5A-NS5B junction site and mimicked the proteolytic function of Npro in the release of BVDV core for capsid assembly. A similar chimeric construct was built with an inactive HCV NS3 protease to serve as a control. Genomic RNA transcripts derived from both chimeric clones, P(H/B) (wild-type HCV NS3 protease) and P(H/B(S139A)) (mutant HCV NS3 protease) were then transfected into bovine cells (MDBK). Only the RNA transcripts from the P(H/B) clone yielded viable viruses, whereas the mutant clone, P(H/B(S139A)), failed to produce any signs of infection, suggesting that the unprocessed fusion protein rendered the BVDV core protein defective in capsid assembly. Like the wild-type BVDV (NADL), the chimeric virus was cytopathic and formed plaques on the cell monolayer. Sequence and biochemical analyses confirmed the identity of the chimeric virus and further revealed variant viruses due to growth adaptation. Growth analysis revealed comparable replication kinetics between the wild-type and the chimeric BVDVs. Finally, to assess the genetic stability of the chimeric virus, an Npro-null BVDV (BVDV-Npro in which the entire Npro coding region was deleted) was produced. Although cytopathic, BVDV-Npro was highly defective in viral replication and growth, a finding consistent with the observed stability of the chimeric virus after serial passages.

Analysis of classical swine fever virus replication kinetics allows differentiation of highly virulent from avirulent strains

To study the replication of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) in cell culture, kinetics of viral plus-strand RNA synthesis, of viral structural and non-structural protein expression as well as of secreted and cell-associated infectious virus were determined. Highly virulent, moderately virulent and avirulent strains that were tested in standardized animal experiments to confirm their virulence were used to search for in vitro parameters allowing the differentiation of strains according to their virulence. No significant qualitative or quantitative differences were found between the strains studied when either RNA replication or protein synthesis were investigated. However, the ratio of cell-associated virus versus secreted virus proved to be considerably lower for the highly virulent strains when compared to avirulent or moderately virulent strains. These data suggest that highly virulent strains of CSFV can be distinguished in cell culture from strains with reduced virulence.

Cytopathogenic and noncytopathogenic RNA replicons of classical swine fever virus

To determine the minimal requirements for autonomous RNA replication of classical swine fever virus (CSFV), genomes having in-frame deletions within the genes for structural and flanking nonstructural proteins were constructed, based on an infectious cDNA clone of CSFV Alfort/187. RNA was transcribed in vitro from the respective plasmids and transfected into SK-6 swine kidney cells. The replication competence of the RNA was determined by immunostaining transfected cells for CSFV NS3 protein and by analysis of cell extracts for viral RNA, as well as protein synthesis at different times after transfection. The genes encoding N(pro), C, E(rns), E1, E2, p7, and NS2 proved to be dispensable for RNA replication, but the efficiency of replication varied strongly between individual constructs. RNA replicons containing the complete NS2-NS3 gene persisted in transfected cells and continued to replicate without causing any obvious morphological or functional damage to the cells, whereas genomes lacking the NS2 gene replicated more efficiently and induced a cytopathic effect. These findings suggest that NS2, although it is not essential for pestivirus RNA replication, has a regulatory function therein. Both cytopathogenic and noncytopathogenic replicons were packaged into virus particles provided in trans by a cotransfected full-length helper virus genome.