A 19-Nucleotide Insertion in the Leader Sequence of Avian Leukosis Virus Subgroup J Contributes to Its Replication in Vitro but Is Not Related to Its Pathogenicity in Vivo
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| Authors: | Xiaolin Ji Qi Wang Xiaofei Li Xiaole Qi Yongqiang Wang Honglei Gao Yulong Gao Xiaomei Wang |
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| Institution: | Division of Avian Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China.; University of Pittsburgh, United States of America, |
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| Abstract: | Subgroup J avian leukosis virus (ALV-J) was first isolated from meat-type chickens that had developed myeloid leukosis and since 2008, ALV-J infections in chickens have become widespread in China. A comparison of the sequence of ALV-J epidemic isolates with HPRS-103, the ALV-J prototype virus, revealed several distinct features, one of which is a 19-nucleotide (nt) insertion in the leader sequence. To determine the role of the 19-nt insertion in ALV-J pathogenicity, a pair of viruses were constructed and rescued. The first virus was an ALV-J Chinese isolate (designated rSD1009) containing the 19-nt insertion in its leader sequence. The second virus was a clone, in which the leader sequence had a deleted 19-nt sequence (designated rSD1009△19). Compared with rSD1009△19, rSD1009 displayed a moderate growth advantage in vitro. However, no differences were demonstrated in either viral replication or oncogenicity between the two rescued viruses in chickens. These results indicated that the 19-nt insertion contributed to ALV-J replication in vitro but was not related to its pathogenicity in vivo. |
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