title: Genetic and antigenic characterization of sigma C protein from avian reovirus.
abstract: Avian reovirus (ARV) causes viral arthritis, tenosynovitis, liver infection and immunosuppression in birds. Live-attenuated and inactivated vaccines for ARV are available, but do not efficiently protect against recent variants. Sigma C, which mediates virus attachment to target cells, is the most variable protein in ARV. Antibodies to this protein neutralize viral infection. The purpose of the present study was to characterize sigma C in isolates of ARV from infected birds, as compared with the vaccine strain. Amino acids 27 to 293 of sigma C from 28 Israeli isolates were compared, classified and analysed using bioinformatics tools. Large variations were found among the isolates, and the vaccine strain was shown to differ from most of the studied strains, which could explain the failure of commonly used vaccinations in protecting birds against ARV infection. Based on sigma C protein sequences from all over the world, ARV can be divided into four groups. Isolates from all groups were found in the field simultaneously, possibly explaining the insufficient protection achieved by the vaccine strain, which is represented in one of the groups. The results point out the need and the difficulty in producing a wide-ranging vaccine. Several conserved regions among all reported ARV sigma C proteins were identified. These peptides were further studied for structural and functional properties, and for antigenic characterization. The results of this study shed light on peptide selection for a broad and efficient vaccine.
authors.affiliation: Migal-Galilee Technology Center, Kiryat Shmona, Israel.
authors.forename: Dana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goldenberg
authors.forename: Metsada
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pasmanik-Chor
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pirak
authors.forename: Nava
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kass
authors.forename: Avishai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lublin
authors.forename: Adva
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yeheskel
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heller
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pitcovski
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000235:genetics*; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016679:Genome, Viral; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D030101:Orthoreovirus, Avian / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000821:virology; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000235:genetics; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D012088:Reoviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; C031728:sigma 1 protein, reovirus