Relevance of the N-terminal and major hydrophobic domains of non-structural protein 3A in the replicative process of a DNA-launched foot-and-mouth disease virus replicon.

A foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) DNA-launched reporter replicon containing a luciferase gene was used to assess the impact of non-structural (NS) protein 3A on viral replication. Independent deletions within the N-terminal region (amino acid [aa] residues 6 to 24) and the central hydrophobic region (HR, aa 59 to 76) of FMDV NS protein 3A were engineered, and luciferase activity in lysates of control and mutated replicon-transfected cells was measured. Triple alanine replacements of the N-terminal triplet Arg 18- His 19 -Glu 20 and a single alanine substitution of the highly charged Glu 20 residue both resulted in a 70-80% reduction in luciferase activity when compared with wild-type controls.

Recombinant foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) non-structural protein 3A fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) as a candidate probe to identify FMDV-infected cattle in serosurveys.

Recombinant protein 3A-EGFP, a fusion construct between foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) non-structural protein 3A and the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was expressed in BL21-DE3 cells. The identity of the partially purified protein 3A-EGFP was confirmed by its reactivity with sera from cattle infected with FMDV and with a monoclonal antibody specific for FMDV-3ABC (MAb3H7) in Western blot assays. No reactivity was observed with sera from uninfected vaccinated animals.

Immunization with Neospora caninum profilin induces limited protection and a regulatory T-cell response in mice.

Profilins are actin-binding proteins that regulate the polymerization of actin filaments. In apicomplexan parasites, they are essential for invasion. Profilins also trigger the immune response of the host by activating TLRs on dendritic cells (DCs), inducing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Development and preliminary validation of an antibody filtration-assisted single-dilution chemiluminometric immunoassay for potency testing of Piscirickettsia salmonis vaccines.

Challenge with live pathogens could be substituted by serology for many veterinary diseases, however little progress has been made in the development of alternative batch vaccine potency tests for fish. This study reports the development and preliminary validation of a single-dilution filtration-assisted chemiluminometric immunoassay (SD FAL-ELISA) applied to measure anti Piscirickettsia salmonis IgM in individual or pooled serum and mucus samples. The assay was set up to test a single-dilution of the sample.