Abstract
Virus-like particles (VLPs) of the fish virus, Atlantic Cod Nervous necrosis virus (ACNNV), were successfully produced by transient expression of the coat protein in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. VLPs could also be produced in transgenic tobacco BY-2 cells. The protein extracted from plants self-assembled into T = 3 particles, that appeared to be morphologically similar to previously analyzed NNV VLPs when analyzed by high resolution cryo-electron microscopy. Administration of the plant-produced VLPs to sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) showed that they could protect the fish against subsequent virus challenge, indicating that plant-produced vaccines may have a substantial future role in aquaculture.
Highlights
Nervous necrosis virus (NNV) is the causative agent of viral nervous necrosis (VNN) that is a major viral pathogen of fish known to affect over 40 cultured marine fish species worldwide (Tan et al, 2001; Walker and Winton, 2010)
Betanodavirus is currently classified into four genotypes: striped jack NNV (SJNNV), tiger puffer NNV (TPNNV), barfin flounder NNV (BFNNV) and redspotted grouper NNV (RGNNV) (Nishizawa et al, 1997) with a fifth, turbot NNV (TNNV), proposed (Johansen et al, 2004) and a further three unclassified viruses known (Sahul Hameed et al, 2019)
This revealed that the majority of the protein with the expected size of the uncleaved alpha peptide (43 kDa) occurred in the 30 and 40% sucrose fractions (Figure 1A) and that this material reacted with anti-Atlantic Cod Nervous necrosis virus (ACNNV) antibodies (Figure 1B)
Summary
Nervous necrosis virus (NNV) is the causative agent of viral nervous necrosis (VNN) that is a major viral pathogen of fish known to affect over 40 cultured marine fish species worldwide (Tan et al, 2001; Walker and Winton, 2010). Nodavirus infection leads to extensive economic losses to the aquaculture industry each year (Lin et al, 2007). VNN often causes mortality rates up to 100% in larvae and early juvenile stages and can result in rapid loss of the hatchery; adult fish are susceptible, but mortality rates are lower (Lin et al, 2007). Nervous necrosis virus is a member of the family Nodaviridae that contains two genera: Alphanodavirus, which usually infects insects, and Betanodavirus, known as piscine nodavirus (Mori et al, 1992). Betanodavirus is currently classified into four genotypes: striped jack NNV (SJNNV), tiger puffer NNV (TPNNV), barfin flounder NNV (BFNNV) and redspotted grouper NNV (RGNNV) (Nishizawa et al, 1997) with a fifth, turbot NNV (TNNV), proposed (Johansen et al, 2004) and a further three unclassified viruses known (Sahul Hameed et al, 2019). The four genotypes fall into three serotypes with RGNNV and BFFNV sharing
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