Identification of a novel linear B-cell epitope in nonstructural protein 11 of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus that are conserved in both genotypes

Nan Jiang; Huan Jin; Yi Li; Xinna Ge; Jun Han; Xin Guo; Lei Zhou; Hanchun Yang

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0188946

Identification of a novel linear B-cell epitope in nonstructural protein 11 of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus that are conserved in both genotypes

PLoS One. 2017 Nov 29;12(11):e0188946. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0188946. eCollection 2017.

Authors

Nan Jiang^{1

2}, Huan Jin^{1

2}, Yi Li^{1

2}, Xinna Ge^{1

2}, Jun Han^{1

2}, Xin Guo^{1

2}, Lei Zhou^{1

2}, Hanchun Yang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Animal Epidemiology of Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
² State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is one of the most economically important pathogens, that hinder the development of global pork industry. Its nonstructural protein 11 (nsp11), with the nidoviral uridylate-specific endoribonuclease (NendoU) domain, is essential for PRRSV genome replication and it also contributes to host innate immunity suppression. However, the immunogenicity and immune structure of PRRSV nsp11 have not been well investigated yet. In this study, a monoclonal antibody (mAb), designated 3F9, that against nsp11 was generated. Subsequently, a series of partially overlapped fragments, covered the nsp1140-223aa, were expressed to test the reactivity with mAb 3F9, and the 111DCREY115 was found to be the core unit of the B-cell epitope recognized by mAb 3F9. Further investigation indicated that both genotype 1 and genotype 2 PRRSV can be recognized by mAb 3F9, due to the 111DCREY115 is conserved in both genotype virus. Meanwhile, this epitope, localized at the surface of nsp11 in 3D structure, is confirmed to be able to induce humoral immune response in PRRSV infected pigs. These findings do not only provide an mAb tool to further investigate the function of nsp11, they also indicate the diagnostic potential for this epitope.

MeSH terms

Animals
Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / chemistry*
Genotype
Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus / genetics
Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus / immunology*
Swine
Viral Nonstructural Proteins / immunology*

Substances

Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte
Viral Nonstructural Proteins

Grants and funding

This study was found by Key project of National Natural Science Funds from National Natural Science Foundation of China with Award Number 31330077 (to HY); Earmarked fund for Modern Agroindustry Technology Research System of China from the Ministry of Agriculture of People’s Republic of China with Award Number CARS-36 (to HY); National Key Technology R & D Program of China from the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology with Award Number 2015BAD12B01-2 (to XG). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.