Transcriptome of Porcine PBMCs over Two Generations Reveals Key Genes and Pathways Associated with Variable Antibody Responses post PRRSV Vaccination

Ting Yang,Fengxia Zhang,Liwei Zhai,Chuduan Wang,Chao Ning,Yuan Wang,Zhen Tan,Yangyang Sun,Ying Yu,Weiliang Zhou,Weiyong He,Lei Liu,Hong Ao

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-20701-w

Abstract

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a virus susceptible to antibody dependent enhancement, causing reproductive failures in sows and preweaning mortality of piglets. Modified-live virus (MLV) vaccines are used to control PRRS in swine herds. However, immunized sows and piglets often generate variable antibody levels. This study aimed to detect significant genes and pathways involved in antibody responsiveness of pregnant sows and their offspring post-PRRSV vaccination. RNA sequencing was conducted on peripheral blood-mononuclear cells (PBMCs), which were isolated from pregnant sows and their piglets with high (HA), median (MA), and low (LA) PRRS antibody levels following vaccination. 401 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in three comparisons (HA versus MA, HA versus LA, and MA versus LA) of sow PBMCs. Two novel pathways (complement and coagulation cascade pathway; and epithelial cell signaling in H. pylori infection pathway) revealed by DEGs in HA versus LA and MA versus LA were involved in chemotactic and proinflammatory responses. TNF-α, CCL4, and NFKBIA genes displayed the same expression trends in subsequent generation post-PRRS-MLV vaccination. Findings of the study suggest that two pathways and TNF-α, CCL4, and NFKBIA could be considered as key pathways and potential candidate genes for PRRSV vaccine responsiveness, respectively.

Highlights

The use of vaccines for controlling and eliminating virus-induced diseases is an important and complex process that highly depends on both antigen properties and host responses
Serum samples were isolated from the jugular vein of sows at days 21 and 35 post-vaccination of Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV)-Modified-live virus (MLV) (21 and 35 dpi) and were screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to evaluate antibody responses of pregnant sows induced by PRRSV vaccine
The use of vaccines to control Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a tough choice for pig farms as PRRSV vaccination poses safety risks on virulent reversion of modified live vaccines (MLV) and depends on immune responses of pigs to the vaccine[17,18]

Summary

Introduction

The use of vaccines for controlling and eliminating virus-induced diseases is an important and complex process that highly depends on both antigen properties and host responses. Host immune responses against PRRSV infection induced by PRRSV vaccine cannot be maintained in the long term[5,6]. To solve this problem, sows, including gestating sows, are vaccinated several times per year with PRRS-MLV in some pig farms. We first conducted genome-wide transcriptional analyses of PBMCs, which were isolated from gestating sows with high (HA), median (MA), and low (LA) levels of PRRS-antibody post-vaccination of highly pathogenic PRRSV vaccine strains TJM, to investigate the key pathways and genes involved in immune responses to PRRSV vaccination of sows. Key genes and pathways involved in porcine PBMCs post-vaccination of PRRSV-MLV were identified

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