In vitro activity of VEGF-E produced by orf virus strains isolated from classical and severe persistent contagious ecthyma.
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.
Scagliarini
Alessandra
A
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
Dal Pozzo
Fabiana
F
Gallina
Laura
L
Guercio
Annalisa
A
Vaccari
Francesca
F
Battilani
Mara
M
Ciulli
Sara
S
Prosperi
Santino
S
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
D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D016207:Cytokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C084758:VEGF-like protein, Orf virus; D014764:Viral Proteins