Molecular Mechanisms of White Spot Syndrome Virus Infection and Perspectives on Treatments

Since its emergence in the 1990s, White Spot Disease (WSD) has had major economic and societal impact in the crustacean aquaculture sector. Over the years shrimp farming alone has experienced billion dollar losses through WSD. The disease is caused by the White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV), a large dsDNA virus and the only member of the Nimaviridae family. Susceptibility to WSSV in a wide range of crustacean hosts makes it a major risk factor in the translocation of live animals and in commodity products. Currently there are no effective treatments for this disease. Understanding the molecular basis of disease processes has contributed significantly to the treatment of many human and animal pathogens, and with a similar aim considerable efforts have been directed towards understanding host-pathogen molecular interactions for WSD. Work on the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis in aquatic crustaceans has been restricted by a lack of sequenced and annotated genomes for host species. Nevertheless, some of the key host-pathogen interactions have been established: between viral envelope proteins and host cell receptors at initiation of infection, involvement of various immune system pathways in response to WSSV, and the roles of various host and virus miRNAs in mitigation or progression of disease. Despite these advances, many fundamental knowledge gaps remain; for example, the roles of the majority of WSSV proteins are still unknown. In this review we assess current knowledge of how WSSV infects and replicates in its host, and critique strategies for WSD treatment.

Molecular immune response of the American lobster (Homarus americanus) to the White Spot Syndrome Virus

The adult American lobster (Homarus americanus) is susceptible to few naturally occurring pathogens, and no viral pathogen is known to exist. Despite this, relatively little is known about the H. americanus immune system and nothing is known about its potential viral immune response. Hundreds of rural communities in Atlantic Canada rely on the lobster fishery for their economic sustainability and could be devastated by large-scale pathogen-mediated mortality events. The White Spot Syndrome Virus is the most economically devastating viral pathogen to global shrimp aquaculture production and has been proposed to be capable of infecting all decapod crustaceans including the European Lobster. An in vivo WSSV injection challenge was conducted in H. americanus and WSSV was found to be capable of infecting and replicating within lobsters held at 20°C. The in vivo WSSV challenge also generated the first viral disease model of H. americanus and allowed for the high-throughput examination of transcriptomic changes that occur during viral infection. Microarray analysis found 136 differentially expressed genes and the expression of a subset of these genes was verified using RT-qPCR. Anti-lipopolysaccharide isoforms and acute phase serum amyloid protein A expression did not change during WSSV infection, contrary to previous findings during bacterial and parasitic infection of H. americanus. This, along with the differential gene expression of thioredoxin and trypsin isoforms, provides compelling evidence that H. americanus is capable of mounting an immune response specific to infection by different pathogen classes.

Occurrence of viral pathogens in Penaeus monodon post-larvae from aquaculture hatcheries

Viral pathogens appear to exert the most significant constraints on the growth and survival of crustaceans under culture conditions. The prevalence of viral pathogens White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV), Hepatopancreatic Parvo Virus (HPV), Monodon Baculo Virus (MBV) and Infectious Hypodermal and Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHHNV) in Penaeus monodon post-larvae was studied. Samples collected from different hatcheries and also samples submitted by farmers from Kerala were analyzed. Out of 104 samples collected, WSSV was detected in 12.5% of the post-larvae samples. Prevalence of concurrent infections by HPV, MBV and WSSV (either dual or triple infection) was present in 60.6% of the total post-larvae tested. Out of the 51 double positives, 98% showed either HPV or IHHNV infection. HPV or IHHNV was detected in 11 post-larval samples showing triple viral infection. This is the first report of IHHNV from India. Result of this study reveals the lack of efficient screening strategies to eradicate viruses in hatchery reared post-larvae.

Yeast cell surface displaying VP28 antigen and its potential application for shrimp farming

VP28 is an envelope protein of White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV), which has been shown in previous studies to induce a high immune response in shrimp. VP28 has been produced in some host systems such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, and Pichia pastoris as free protein. Here we showed a new strategy of anchoring VP28 on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast surface and using the yeast cell extract combined with probiotic as an oral vaccine for shrimp farming. We have successfully constructed a recombinant yeast cell capable of expressing VP28 on the cell surface. The feeding diet combined with VP28 anchored yeast cell extract provided significant assurance to Litopenaeus vannamei, challenged by WSSV, resulting in a relative percent survival (RPS) of 87.10 ± 2.15%. Interestingly, the utilization of VP28 anchored yeast cell extract could enhance the efficiency of probiotic strains like Lactobacillus and Bacillus on shrimp farming. The results in both laboratory scales and field trials using extract of VP28 displaying Saccharomyces showed a growth-promoting effect in shrimp, assessed through average shrimp weight. Taken together, our results in this study demonstrated a new successful strategy of using yeast cell surface as a tool to produce VP28-based oral vaccine for shrimp aquaculture. KEY POINTS: • A new strategy of using VP28 antigen as anchored protein on S. cerevisiae yeast cell surface (S. cerevisiae::VP28) • The utilization of VP28 antigen and yeast as S. cerevisiae::VP28 extract enhanced potential protection of Litopenaeus vannamei against White Spot Syndrome Virus (RPS 87.10%) • The use of S. cerevisiae::VP28 extract increased efficiency of probiotic on shrimp growth-promoting effect either lab-scale or field trial.

High-throughput screening of natural antiviral drug candidates against white spot syndrome virus targeting VP28 in Penaeus monodon: Computational drug design approaches

The white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), considered the deadliest pathogen impacting Penaeid shrimp (Penaeus monodon), remains worrisome for the global shrimp industry due to its extreme virulence and mortality rate of up to 100%. To date, there has been no breakthrough in effective antivirals or vaccines that can mitigate the financial damage caused by the pathogen. The distinctive structure of VP28 facilitates its role as a trimer, serving as the primary envelope protein of WSSV. It anchors to the viral envelope, directly interacts with PmRab7, a membrane protein in P. monodon, and aids in entry into the host. This research aims to discover antiviral drug candidates targeting VP28 trimer by screening a virtual library of 187 bioactive compounds derived from the medicinal herbs Azadirachta indica and Bacopa monnieri. To evaluate the drug ability of compounds in restricting VP28 trimer interaction within the endocytic pathway, a computational strategy was employed, including virtual screening, pharmacokinetics and toxicity analysis, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The four strongest compounds, epicatechin, luteolin, kaempferol, and apigenin, exhibited binding affinities of -8.8, -8.8, -8.7, and -8.5 Kcal/mol, respectively, and demonstrated excellent pharmacokinetic properties. Furthermore, we employed 100 nanoseconds MD simulations and MM-PBSA binding free energy calculations to examine intermolecular interactions and confirmed the structural stability of the compounds at the VP28 binding site. The findings of this research suggest that these compounds hold promise in combating WSSV infection, reducing economic losses, and contributing to the sustainability of the shrimp industry.