Abstract
Glycoprotein G (gG) is a conserved protein, and it has been described as a chemokine-binding protein in most members of the alphaherpesviruses. In case of the infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), an alphaherpesvirus that infects chickens, this protein is a virulence factor that plays an immunomodulatory role in the chicken immune response. Nevertheless, the gG production profile during ILTV infection has not yet been studied. In this study, we developed monoclonal antibodies in order to determine the gG production profile during ILTV infection in chicken hepatocellular carcinoma (LMH) cell cultures as well as embryonated specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chicken eggs and SPF chickens using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Despite the fact that inoculated LMH cell cultures showed an increase in both gG production and viral genome copy number up to 96 h after inoculation, we observed that gG production started earlier than the increase in viral genome copy number in ILTV infected embryonated SPF chicken eggs. Likewise, a gG production peak and an increase of viral genome copy number was observed prior to the appearance of clinical signs in infected SPF chickens. According to the production profiles, gG was also produced quite early in eggs and chickens inoculated with ILTV. These findings contribute to the knowledge of the gG role during the ILTV infection as a virulence factor.
Highlights
Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is an upper respiratory avian disease that causes important economic losses in the poultry industry [1]
Many infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) proteins have been described in detail [4] and only one of them known as glycoprotein G, encoded by the US4 gene [5], has been reported to be secreted [6, 7] Two properties have been attributed to gG, including chemokine binding [6] and modulation of chicken cytokine transcription [8]
GG is considered a viral chemokine-binding protein (vCKBP) owing to its affinity to chemokines. gG is a secreted protein produced in most members of this family, including animal and human alphaherpesviruses, with the exception of the varicella zoster virus (VZV) and the Marek’s disease virus [10]
Summary
Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is an upper respiratory avian disease that causes important economic losses in the poultry industry [1]. This disease is caused by the Gallid alphaherpesvirus type 1, known as the infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) [2]. Many ILTV proteins have been described in detail [4] and only one of them known as glycoprotein G (gG), encoded by the US4 gene [5], has been reported to be secreted [6, 7] Two properties have been attributed to gG, including chemokine binding [6] and modulation of chicken cytokine transcription [8].
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