Expression of ASFV p17 in CHO cells and identification of one novel epitope using a monoclonal antibody

Liwei Li; Sina Qiao; Shumao Wang; Jiachen Liu; Kuan Zhao; Yanjun Zhou; Guoxin Li; Yifeng Jiang; Changlong Liu; Guangzhi Tong; Wu Tong; Fei Gao

doi:10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199194

Expression of ASFV p17 in CHO cells and identification of one novel epitope using a monoclonal antibody

Virus Res. 2023 Oct 15:336:199194. doi: 10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199194. Epub 2023 Aug 23.

Authors

Liwei Li¹, Sina Qiao², Shumao Wang³, Jiachen Liu¹, Kuan Zhao⁴, Yanjun Zhou¹, Guoxin Li¹, Yifeng Jiang¹, Changlong Liu¹, Guangzhi Tong¹, Wu Tong⁵, Fei Gao⁶

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China.
² Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China; College of Veterinary Medicine, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China.
³ Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China; College of Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, China.
⁴ College of Veterinary Medicine, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding 071001, China.
⁵ Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonose, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China. Electronic address: wutong@shvri.ac.cn.
⁶ Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 200241, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center for the Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Disease and Zoonose, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China. Electronic address: feigao@shvri.ac.cn.

Abstract

As a highly pathogenic large DNA virus, African swine fever virus (ASFV) has huge particles and numerous encoded proteins. At present, few of the existing studies on ASFV proteins have investigated the function of p17. Specific antibodies against p17 to promote the development of prevention techniques against African swine fever (ASF) are urgently needed. Herein, we successfully expressed ASFV p17 in CHO cells using a suspension culture system and generated a monoclonal antibody (mAb) against p17. The mAb recognized a novel linear epitope (⁸LLSHNLSTREGIK²⁰) and exhibited specific reactivity, which was conducive to the identification of ectopically expressed p17, the recombinant porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus expressing p17, and the ASFV-SY18. The epitope was conservative among genotype I and genotype II ASFV strains. Overall, the mAb against p17 revealed efficient detection and promising application prospects, making it a useful tool for future vaccine research on ASF. Determination of the conserved linear epitope of p17 would contribute to the in-depth exploration of the biological function of ASFV antigen protein.

Keywords: ASFV; CHO cells; Epitope; Monoclonal antibody; P17.