title: In vitro activity of VEGF-E produced by orf virus strains isolated from classical and severe persistent contagious ecthyma.
abstract: Proliferative orf virus infections in adult sheep have increased in Italy in the past few years: these extreme cases are frequently fatal and difficult to differentiate from other infectious diseases of sheep such as blue tongue. A probable explanation for the proliferative and highly vascularized nature of the lesions was found in the expression of the VEGF-E gene encoded by the orf virus. To investigate a possible role of the viral VEGF in the pathogenesis of severe persistent orf virus lesions, the activity of four VEGF-E variants was compared by an angiogenesis in vitro model. Similar angiogenic activity was found between strains isolated from the classical and the proliferative forms of the disease, even if the latter was able to develop a higher number of vessels during the first 24 h of infection. Our in vitro findings seems to exclude that the VEGF variants encoded by the strain isolated from the atypical form of the disease could be the responsible for the histopathological aspect of the proliferative lesions.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica Veterinaria e Patologia Animale, Alma Mater Studiorum, Sezione Malattie Infettive, Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra, 50, 40064 Ozzano Emilia Bologna, Italy. ascagliarini@vet.unibo.it
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scagliarini
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dal Pozzo
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gallina
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guercio
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vaccari
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Battilani
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ciulli
authors.forename: Santino
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prosperi
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D016207:Cytokines / Q000502:physiology; D004474:Ecthyma, Contagious / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D006801:Humans; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000821:virology; D009923:Orf virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012756:Sheep; D013997:Time Factors; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D016207:Cytokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C084758:VEGF-like protein, Orf virus; D014764:Viral Proteins