Transcriptome Analysis for Genes Associated with Small Ruminant Lentiviruses Infection in Goats of Carpathian Breed.

Small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLV) are economically important viral pathogens of sheep and goats. SRLV infection may interfere in the innate and adaptive immunity of the host, and genes associated with resistance or susceptibility to infection with SRLV have not been fully recognized. The presence of animals with relatively high and low proviral load suggests that some host factors are involved in the control of virus replication. To better understand the role of the genes involved in the host response to SRLV infection, RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) method was used to compare whole gene expression profiles in goats carrying both a high (HPL) and low (LPL) proviral load of SRLV and uninfected animals. Data enabled the identification of 1130 significant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between control and LPL groups: 411 between control and HPL groups and 1434 DEGs between HPL and LPL groups. DEGs detected between the control group and groups with a proviral load were found to be significantly enriched in several gene ontology (GO) terms, including an integral component of membrane, extracellular region, response to growth factor, inflammatory and innate immune response, transmembrane signaling receptor activity, myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88)-dependent toll-like receptor signaling pathway as well as regulation of cytokine secretion. Our results also demonstrated significant deregulation of selected pathways in response to viral infection. The presence of SRLV proviral load in blood resulted in the modification of gene expression belonging to the toll-like receptor signaling pathway, the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway, the cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, the phagosome, the Ras signaling pathway, the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) (PI3K-Akt) signaling pathway and rheumatoid arthritis. It is worth mentioning that the most predominant in all pathways were genes represented by toll-like receptors, tubulins, growth factors as well as interferon gamma receptors. DEGs detected between LPL and HPL groups were found to have significantly enriched regulation of signaling receptor activity, the response to toxic substances, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) dehydrogenase complex assembly, cytokine production, vesicle, and vacuole organization. In turn, the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway tool classified DEGs that enrich molecular processes such as B and T-cell receptor signaling pathways, natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity, Fc gamma R-mediated phagocytosis, toll-like receptor signaling pathways, TNF, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling and forkhead box O (Foxo) signaling pathways, etc. Our data indicate that changes in SRLV proviral load induced altered expression of genes related to different biological processes such as immune response, inflammation, cell locomotion, and cytokine production. These findings provide significant insights into defense mechanisms against SRLV infection. Furthermore, these data can be useful to develop strategies against SRLV infection by selection of animals with reduced SRLV proviral concentration that may lead to a reduction in the spread of the virus.

Characterization of Signal Sequences Determining the Nuclear/Nucleolar Import and Nuclear Export of the Caprine Arthritis-Encephalitis Virus Rev Protein.

Caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV), a lentivirus, relies on the action of the Rev protein for its replication. The CAEV Rev fulfills its function by allowing the nuclear exportation of partially spliced or unspliced viral mRNAs. In this study, we characterized the nuclear and nucleolar localization signals (NLS and NoLS, respectively) and the nuclear export signal (NES) of the CAEV Rev protein. These signals are key actors in the nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of a lentiviral Rev protein. Several deletion and alanine substitution mutants were generated from a plasmid encoding the CAEV Rev wild-type protein that was fused to the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Following cell transfection, images were captured by confocal microscopy and the fluorescence was quantified in the different cell compartments. The results showed that the NLS region is localized between amino acids (aa) 59 to 75, has a monopartite-like structure and is exclusively composed of arginine residues. The NoLS was found to be partially associated with the NLS. Finally, the CAEV Rev protein's NES mapped between aa 89 to 101, with an aa spacing between the hydrophobic residues that was found to be unconventional as compared to that of other retroviral Rev/Rev-like proteins.

Development of a recombinase polymerase amplification lateral flow dipstick (RPA-LFD) for the field diagnosis of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) infection.

Caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE) in goats is a complex disease syndrome caused by a lentivirus. This persistent viral infection results in arthritis in adult goats and encephalitis in lambs. The prognosis for the encephalitic form is normally poor, and this form of the disease has caused substantial economic losses for goat farmers. Hence, a more efficient detection platform based on recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) and a lateral flow dipstick (LFD) was developed in the present study for detecting the proviral DNA of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV). Under the optimal incubation conditions, specifically, 30min at 37°C for RPA followed by 5min at room temperature for LFD, the assay was found to be sensitive to a lower limit of 80pg of total DNA and 10 copies of plasmid DNA. Furthermore, there was no cross-reaction with other tested viruses, including goat pox virus and bovine leukemia virus. Given its simplicity and portability, this RPA-LFD protocol can serve as an alternative tool to ELISA for the primary screening of CAEV, one that is suitable for both laboratory and field application. When the RPA-LFD was applied in parallel with serological ELISA for the detection of CAEV in field samples, the RPA-LFD assay exhibited a higher sensitivity than the traditional method, and 82% of the 200 samples collected in Taiwan were found to be positive. To our knowledge, this is the first report providing evidence to support the use of an RPA-LFD assay as a specific and sensitive platform for detecting CAEV proviral DNA in goats in a faster manner, one that is also applicable for on-site utilization at farms and that should be useful in both eradication programs and epidemiological studies.

Small ruminant lentiviral Vif proteins commonly utilize cyclophilin A, an evolutionarily and structurally conserved protein, to degrade ovine and caprine APOBEC3 proteins.

Mammals have co-evolved with retroviruses, including lentiviruses, over a long period. Evidence supporting this contention is that viral infectivity factor (Vif) encoded by lentiviruses antagonizes the anti-viral action of cellular apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3) of the host. To orchestrate E3 ubiquitin ligase complex for APOBEC3 degradation, Vifs utilize mammalian proteins such as core-binding factor beta (CBFB; for primate lentiviruses) or cyclophilin A (CYPA; for Maedi-Visna virus [MVV]). However, the co-evolutionary relationship between lentiviral Vif and the mammalian proteins associated with Vif-mediated APOBEC3 degradation is poorly understood. Moreover, it is unclear whether Vif proteins of small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs), including MVV and caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV), commonly utilize CYPA to degrade the APOBEC3 of their hosts. In this study, molecular phylogenetic and protein homology modeling revealed that Vif co-factors are evolutionarily and structurally conserved. It was also found that not only MVV but also CAEV Vifs degrade APOBEC3 of both sheep and goats and that CAEV Vifs interact with CYPA. These findings suggest that lentiviral Vifs chose evolutionarily and structurally stable proteins as their partners (e.g., CBFB or CYPA) for APOBEC3 degradation and, particularly, that SRLV Vifs evolved to utilize CYPA as their co-factor in degradation of ovine and caprine APOBEC3.

Generation of a molecular clone of an attenuated lentivirus, a first step in understanding cytopathogenicity and virulence.

Small ruminant lentiviruses infect goats and sheep, inducing clinical disease in a minority of infected animals. Following an eradication campaign, clinical cases may disappear in a population. The complete elimination of these lentiviruses is however difficult to achieve and the spreading of less virulent strains often parallels the elimination of their virulent counterparts. Here, we characterized three such strains isolated from a flock in the post-eradication phase. We completely sequenced their genomes, showing that one of the isolates was most probably the product of a recombination event between the other two viruses. By comparing the sequences of these isolates with those of virulent strains, we found evidence that particular LTR mutations may explain their attenuated phenotype. Finally, we constructed an infectious molecular clone representative of these viruses, analyzing its replication characteristics in different target cells. This clone will permit us to explore the molecular correlates of cytopathogenicity and virulence.

Molecular characterization of the gag gene of caprine arthritis encephalitis virus from goats in the Philippines.

Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) causes caprine arthritis encephalitis syndrome, which is an emerging disease of goats in the Philippines. DNA sequence analysis showed homology of 86-93 % between Philippine CAEV and available CAEV sequences in GenBank. CAEV was detected using nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and new sets of primers were designed in order to amplify the gag gene, which is a highly conserved region of the viral genome. In addition, the Philippine CAEV isolate clustered in group B with the prototype caprine lentivirus. Based on amino acid sequence alignments, it is possible that the Philippine CAEV isolate is a new strain of CAEV, but it is also possible that it was already present in the country even before the start of goat importation. Molecular characterization of the CAEV gag gene is important for the development of a detection kit specific for the local strain of CAEV and the establishment of small ruminant lentivirus eradication programs in the Philippines. This study is the first report to describe the molecular characteristics of CAEV circulating in the Philippines.

Characterization of small ruminant lentivirus A4 subtype isolates and assessment of their pathogenic potential in naturally infected goats.

BACKGROUND: Small ruminant lentiviruses escaping efficient serological detection are still circulating in Swiss goats in spite of a long eradication campaign that essentially eliminated clinical cases of caprine arthritis encephalitis in the country. This strongly suggests that the circulating viruses are avirulent for goats.To test this hypothesis, we isolated circulating viruses from naturally infected animals and tested the in vitro and in vivo characteristics of these field isolates. METHODS: Viruses were isolated from primary macrophage cultures. The presence of lentiviruses in the culture supernatants was monitored by reverse transcriptase assay. Isolates were passaged in different cells and their cytopathogenic effects monitored by microscopy. Proviral load was quantified by real-time PCR using customized primer and probes. Statistical analysis comprised Analysis of Variance and Bonferroni Multiple Comparison Test. RESULTS: The isolated viruses belonged to the small ruminant lentiviruses A4 subtype that appears to be prominent in Switzerland. The 4 isolates replicated very efficiently in macrophages, displaying heterogeneous phenotypes, with two isolates showing a pronounced cytopathogenicity for these cells. By contrast, all 4 isolates had a poor replication capacity in goat and sheep fibroblasts. The proviral loads in the peripheral blood and, in particular, in the mammary gland were surprisingly high compared to previous observations. Nevertheless, these viruses appear to be of low virulence for goats except for the mammary gland were histopathological changes were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Small ruminant lentiviruses continue to circulate in Switzerland despite a long and expensive caprine arthritis encephalitis virus eradication campaign. We isolated 4 of these lentiviruses and confirmed their phylogenetic association with the prominent A4 subtype. The pathological and histopathological analysis of the infected animals supported the hypothesis that these A4 viruses are of low pathogenicity for goats, with, however, a caveat about the potentially detrimental effects on the mammary gland. Moreover, the high proviral load detected indicates that the immune system of the animals cannot control the infection and this, combined with the phenotypic plasticity observed in vitro, strongly argues in favour of a continuous and precise monitoring of these SRLV to avoid the risk of jeopardizing a long eradication campaign.

Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus detection in blood by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay targeting the proviral gag region.

Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV), of the genus Lentivirus of the Retroviridae family, causes persistent disease, which is characterized by polyarthritis and mastitis in adult goats and progressive paresis (leukoencephalomyelitis) in kids. A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for the detection of CAEV in blood samples. Species-specific primers amplifying the gag gene region in the provirus were used for the detection of CAEV. The LAMP assay result was obtained 30 min after incubation on a constant temperature at 63 °C in a heat block. Resulting amplicons were visualized by addition of SYBR green dye after the reaction and checked by agarose gel electrophoresis. The sensitivity of LAMP assay was evaluated by comparing the result with the nested polymerase chain reaction. Based on the experiments, the result of the assay indicated a rapid and sensitive test for the detection of CAEV.

Development of TaqMan-based qPCR method for detection of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) infection.

A specific and sensitive two-step TaqMan real-time PCR has been developed for rapid diagnosis of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) infection by using a set of specific primers and a TaqMan probe targeting a highly conserved region within the gene encoding the viral capsid protein (CA). The assay successfully detected CAEV proviral DNA in total DNA extracts originating from cell culture, whole blood samples and isolated PBMCs, with a lower detection limit of 10(2) copies and a linear dynamic range of 10(5) to 10(10) copies/ml. There was no cross-reaction with other animal viruses (e.g., goat pox virus, bovine leukemia virus, bovine mucosal disease virus, swine influenza virus and Nipah virus). When applied in parallel with serological AGID and conventional PCR for detection of CAEV in field samples, this assay exhibited a higher sensitivity than these traditional methods, and 7.8 % of the 308 specimens collected in the Shanxi and Tianjin regions of China from 1993 to 2011 were found to be positive. Thus, the TaqMan qPCR assay provides a fast, specific and sensitive means for detecting CAEV proviral DNA in goat specimens and should be useful for large-scale detection in eradication programs and epidemiological studies.

Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) replicates productively in cultured epididymal cells from goats.

The transmission of CAEV from male goats has not been well studied and the target cells that support viral replication are not well characterized. Epididymal epithelial cells (EECs) are important and play a key role in the fertility and motility of spermatozoa. During their transit, spermatozoa incorporate several EEC-produced proteins into their plasma membranes to stabilize them and prevent premature acrosomal reaction. This intimate interaction between spermatozoa and EECs may increase the likelihood of the infection of semen with CAEV if epididymal tissue is productively infected and sheds the virus into the duct. The aim of this study was to examine whether goat EECs are susceptible to CAEV infection in tissue culture. Cells were isolated from epididymides obtained from goats that were sampled from a certified-CAEV-free herd. Cultured cells were then inoculated with a molecularly-cloned isolate of CAEV (CAEV-pBSCA). Inoculated cells developed cytopathic effects (CPE), showing numerous multinucleated giant cells (MGC) in cell-culture monolayers. Expression of CAEV proteins was detected by immunofluorescence using an anti-p28, Gag-specific antibody. The culture medium of inoculated cells was shown to contain high titers (10(6) tissue culture infectious doses 50 per ml (TCID50/ml)) of infectious, cytopathic virus when assayed using indicator goat synovial membrane (GSM) cells. Our findings clearly demonstrate that cells of the buck genital tract are targets of CAEV and are thus a potential reservoir that sheds infectious CAEV into the semen of infected animals. These data suggest the use of sperm from CAEV-free goat males for artificial insemination in genetic selection programs to minimize CAEV dissemination.

Diversity of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus promoters isolated from goat milk and passaged in vitro.

Transcriptional regulation in retroviruses resides in the U3 region of the proviral long terminal repeat (LTR). Transcription binding sites (TBS) in the U3 region of proviral sequences derived from the milk of 17 goats infected with caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) were analysed by nested PCR and sequencing. U3 sequences shared a high degree of homology (86-99%) and were closely related to isolates previously ascribed to small ruminant lentivirus subtype B1. Multiple putative AP-1, AP-4, Ets-1, Stat-1 and TATA binding protein (TBP) sites were highly conserved (>85% of isolates), as were single AML(vis), GAS, IRF-1, NFAT and TAS sites. A 10 nucleotide insertion of undetermined relevance was identified in the U3 region of two isolates. To study the stability of TBS within the CAEV U3 region through in vitro passage, milk-derived isolates of CAEV from three infected dams were cultured in goat synovial membrane (GSM) cells; in one isolate the viral U3 region was completely stable during in vitro passage, in a second isolate the viral U3 region accumulated multiple deletions, single nucleotide polymorphisms and insertions, while a third isolate had an intermediate degree of promoter stability. Promoter mutations arising during in vitro passage did not affect most of the conserved putative TBS identified in CAEV.

Immunogenicity of a lentiviral-based DNA vaccine driven by the 5'LTR of the naturally attenuated caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) in mice and macaques.

Increasing the safety and the efficacy of existing HIV vaccines is one of the strategies that could help to promote the development of a vaccine for human use. We developed a HIV DNA vaccine (Δ4-SHIVKU2) that has been shown to induce potent polyfunctional HIV-specific T cell responses following a single dose immunization of mice and macaques. Δ4-SHIVKU2 also induced protection when immunized macaques were challenged with homologous pathogenic viruses. In the present study, our aim was to examine whether a chimeric HIV DNA vaccine (CAL-Δ4-SHIVKU2) whose genome is driven by the LTR of the goat lentivirus, caprine arthritis encephalitis (CAEV) expresses efficiently the vaccine antigens and induces potent immune responses in animal models for HIV vaccine. Data of radioimmunoprecipitation assays clearly show that this chimeric genome drives efficient expression of all HIV antigens in the construct. In addition, evaluation of the p24 Gag protein in the supernatant of HEK-293-T cells transfected in parallel with Δ4-SHIVKU2 and CAL-Δ4-SHIVKU2 showed no difference suggesting that these two LTRs are inducing equally the expression of the viral genes. Immunization of mice and macaques using our single dose immunization regimen resulted in induction of similar IFN-γ ELISPOT responses in Δ4-SHIVKU2- and CAL-Δ4-SHIVKU2-treated mice. Similar profiles of T cell responses were also detected both in mice and macaques when multiparametric flow cytometry analyses were performed. Since CAEV LTR is not dependent of Tat to drive viral gene expression and is not functional for integration with HIV integrase, this new vector increases the safety and efficacy of our vaccine vectors and vaccination strategy.

Vaccinia and other viruses with available vaccines show marked homology with the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein: the prospect of using existing vaccines to stem the AIDS pandemic.

Cross-reactive immunity occurs when infection with or vaccination against one virus protects against another related family member. A search for homologues of the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein revealed that it is composed of thousands of intercalating and overlapping viral matches of pentapeptide or longer gapped consensi, belonging to over 70% of the currently sequenced virome, infecting all kingdoms from bacteria to man. It was also highly homologous to proteins from the Visna/Maedi and other ovine viruses, while other proteins (nef/tat/gag/pol) were homologous to proteins from the equine infectious anaemia virus and HTLV-2/HTLV-3 viruses. This phenomenon suggests that horizontal gene transfer from coinfecting RNA and DNA viruses to retroviruses is extensive, providing a route for the subsequent insertion of non-retroviral genes into human and other genomes via retroviral integration. This homology includes all viruses for which vaccines already exist. Cross-reactive immunity may be operative in AIDS, as Vaccinia vaccination decreases viral replication in HIV-1 infected patients' cells, for the CCR5 tropic form. Measles, Dengue virus, or GB virus C infections also decrease the HIV-1 viral load. A resumption of Vaccinia/smallpox vaccination might be expected to have a significant effect on the AIDS pandemic, and a careful study of the potential uses of other existing viral and bacterial vaccines merits close attention. This phenomenon may also be relevant to other recalcitrant viruses, bacteria, and parasites for which no vaccine exists and the armory of existing vaccines may have a role to play in diseases other than those for which they were designed.

Phage display identifies two Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus env epitopes.

Using phage display and IgG of a goat infected with Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus (CAEV) we obtained families of 7 mer constrained peptides with consensus motifs LxSDPF/Y and SWN/KHWSY and mapped the epitopes mimicked by them at the Env 6-LISDPY-11 and 67-WNTYHW-72 sites of the mature gp135 amino acid sequence. The first epitope fell into the N-terminal immunogenic aa1-EDYTLISDPYGFS- aa14 site identified previously with a synthetic peptide approach; the second epitope has not been described previously. The first epitope is mostly conserved across CAEV isolates whereas the second newly described epitope is extremely conserved in Small Ruminant Lentiviruses env sequences. As being immunodominant, the epitopes are candidate targets for mimotope-mediated diagnosis and/or neutralization.

Characterization of a new 5' splice site within the caprine arthritis encephalitis virus genome: evidence for a novel auxiliary protein.

BACKGROUND: Lentiviral genomes encode multiple structural and regulatory proteins. Expression of the full complement of viral proteins is accomplished in part by alternative splicing of the genomic RNA. Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) and maedi-visna virus (MVV) are two highly related small-ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) that infect goats and sheep. Their genome seems to be less complex than those of primate lentiviruses since SRLVs encode only three auxiliary proteins, namely, Tat, Rev, and Vif, in addition to the products of gag, pol, and env genes common to all retroviruses. Here, we investigated the central part of the SRLV genome to identify new splice elements and their relevance in viral mRNA and protein expression. RESULTS: We demonstrated the existence of a new 5' splice (SD) site located within the central part of CAEV genome, 17 nucleotides downstream from the SD site used for the rev mRNA synthesis, and perfectly conserved among SRLV strains. This new SD site was found to be functional in both transfected and infected cells, leading to the production of a transcript containing an open reading frame generated by the splice junction with the 3' splice site used for the rev mRNA synthesis. This open reading frame encodes two major protein isoforms of 18- and 17-kDa, named Rtm, in which the N-terminal domain shared by the Env precursor and Rev proteins is fused to the entire cytoplasmic tail of the transmembrane glycoprotein. Immunoprecipitations using monospecific antibodies provided evidence for the expression of the Rtm isoforms in infected cells. The Rtm protein interacts specifically with the cytoplasmic domain of the transmembrane glycoprotein in vitro, and its expression impairs the fusion activity of the Env protein. CONCLUSION: The characterization of a novel CAEV protein, named Rtm, which is produced by an additional multiply-spliced mRNA, indicated that the splicing pattern of CAEV genome is more complex than previously reported, generating greater protein diversity. The high conservation of the SD site used for the rtm mRNA synthesis among CAEV and MVV strains strongly suggests that the Rtm protein plays a role in SRLV propagation in vivo, likely by competing with Env protein functions.

Compartmentalization of small ruminant lentivirus between blood and colostrum in infected goats.

The compartmentalization of small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) subtype A (Maedi-Visna virus) and B (caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus) variants was analyzed in colostrum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of four naturally infected goats. Sequence analysis of DNA and RNA encompassing the V4-V5 env regions showed a differential distribution of SRLV variants between the two compartments. Tissue-specific compartmentalization was demonstrated by phylogenetic analysis in three of the four cases. In these animals colostrum proviral sequences were clustered relative to the blood viral sequences. In one goat, the blood and colostrum-derived provirus sequences were intermingled, suggesting trafficking of virus between the two tissues or mirroring a recent infection. Surprisingly, the pattern of free virus variants in the colostrum of all animals corresponded only partially to that of the proviral form, suggesting that free viruses might not derive from infected colostral cells. The compartmentalization of SRLV between peripheral blood and colostrum indicates that lactogenic transmission may involve specific viruses not present in the proviral populations circulating in the blood.

Activation/proliferation and apoptosis of bystander goat lymphocytes induced by a macrophage-tropic chimeric caprine arthritis encephalitis virus expressing SIV Nef.

Caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) is the natural lentivirus of goats, well known for its tropism for macrophages and its inability to cause infection in lymphocytes. The viral genome lacks nef, tat, vpu and vpx coding sequences. To test the hypothesis that when nef is expressed by the viral genome, the virus became toxic for lymphocytes during replication in macrophages, we inserted the SIVsmm PBj14 nef coding sequences into the genome of CAEV thereby generating CAEV-nef. This recombinant virus is not infectious for lymphocytes but is fully replication competent in goat macrophages in which it constitutively expresses the SIV Nef. We found that goat lymphocytes cocultured with CAEV-nef-infected macrophages became activated, showing increased expression of the interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R). Activation correlated with increased proliferation of the cells. Interestingly, a dual effect in terms of apoptosis regulation was observed in exposed goat lymphocytes. Nef was found first to induce a protection of lymphocytes from apoptosis during the first few days following exposure to infected macrophages, but later it induced increased apoptosis in the activated lymphocytes. This new recombinant virus provides a model to study the functions of Nef in the context of infection of macrophages, but in absence of infection of T lymphocytes and brings new insights into the biological effects of Nef on lymphocytes.

Vaccination with a T-cell-priming Gag peptide of caprine arthritis encephalitis virus enhances virus replication transiently in vivo.

CD4+ T cells are involved in several immune response pathways used to control viral infections. In this study, a group of genetically defined goats was immunized with a synthetic peptide known to encompass an immunodominant helper T-cell epitope of caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV). Fifty-five days after challenge with the molecularly cloned CAEV strain CO, the vaccinated animals had a higher proviral load than the controls. The measurement of gamma interferon and interleukin-4 gene expression showed that these cytokines were reliable markers of an ongoing immune response but their balance did not account for more or less efficient control of CAEV replication. In contrast, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor appeared to be a key cytokine that might support virus replication in the early phase of infection. The observation of a potential T-cell-mediated enhancement of virus replication supports other recent findings showing that lentivirus-specific T cells can be detrimental to the host, suggesting caution in designing vaccine candidates.

In vitro cross-species infections using a caprine arthritis encephalitis lentivirus carrying the GFP marker gene.

A caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV), carrying the green fluorescent protein (GFP) into the tat region was recently reported [Mselli-Lakhal, L., Guiguen, F., Greenland, T., Mornex, J.F., Chebloune, Y., 2006. Gene transfer system derived from the caprine arthritis-encephalitis lentivirus. J. Virol. Meth. 136, 177-184]. This construct, called pK2EGFPH replicated to titres up to 10(5)IU/ml on infection of caprine cells, and could be concentrated to 10(6)IU/ml by ultracentrifugation. In the present study, the pK2EGFPH construct was characterized better and used in cross-species infection studies. The pK2EGFPH virus could transduce GFP protein expression both to goat synovial membrane cells and to an immortalized goat milk epithelial cell line. The pK2EGFPH infected cells were demonstrated to express both GFP protein and CAEV viral proteins, as demonstrated by radioimmunoprecipitation and multinucleated cell formation. However GFP expression could not be maintained over passages. This vector was used to investigate cross-species infectious potential of CAEV. The bovine cell lines MDBK and GBK were found to be sensitive to infection while the human cell lines Hela, A431 and THP-1 were not. The pK2EGFPH vector should prove useful in studies of CAEV tropism both in vitro and in vivo.

Demonstration of coinfection with and recombination by caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus and maedi-visna virus in naturally infected goats.

Recombination of different strains and subtypes is a hallmark of lentivirus infections, particularly for human immunodeficiency virus, and contributes significantly to viral diversity and evolution both within individual hosts and within populations. Recombinant viruses are generated in individuals coinfected or superinfected with more than one lentiviral strain or subtype. This, however, has never been described in vivo for the prototype lentivirus maedi-visna virus of sheep and its closely related caprine counterpart, the caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus. Cross-species infections occur in animals living under natural conditions, which suggests that dual infections with small-ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) are possible. In this paper we describe the first documented case of coinfection and viral recombination in two naturally infected goats. DNA fragments encompassing a variable region of the envelope glycoprotein were obtained from these two animals by end-limiting dilution PCR of peripheral blood mononuclear cells or infected cocultures. Genetic analyses, including nucleotide sequencing and heteroduplex mobility assays, showed that these goats harbored two distinct populations of SRLVs. Phylogenetic analysis permitted us to assign these sequences to the maedi-visna virus group (SRLV group A) or the caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus group (SRLV group B). SimPlot analysis showed clear evidence of A/B recombination within the env gene segment of a virus detected in one of the two goats. This case provides conclusive evidence that coinfection by different strains of SRLVs of groups A and B can indeed occur and that these viruses actually recombine in vivo.