Overexpression of bovine leukemia virus receptor SLC7A1/CAT1 enhances cellular susceptibility to BLV infection on luminescence syncytium induction assay (LuSIA)

• Main Authors: Hirotaka Sato, Lanlan Bai, Liushiqi Borjigin, Yoko Aida
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2020-04-01
• Series: Virology Journal
• Subjects: Bovine leukemia virus; Receptor; CAT1/SLC7A1; Luminescence syncytium induction assay; Infection
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12985-020-01324-y

Abstract Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) causes enzootic bovine leukosis, the most common neoplastic disease in cattle. We previously reported the development and protocol of the luminescence syncytium induction assay (LuSIA), a method for evaluating BLV infectivity based on CC81-GREMG cells. These cells form syncytia expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein when co-cultured with BLV-infected cells. Recently, we confirmed CAT1/SLC7A1 functions as a receptor of BLV. Here, we focused on CAT1/SLC7A1 to increase the sensitivity of LuSIA. We constructed a bovine CAT1-expressing plasmid and established a new CC81-GREMG-derived reporter cell line highly expressing bovine CAT1 (CC81-GREMG-CAT1). The new LuSIA protocol using CC81-GREMG-CAT1 cells measures cell-to-cell infectivity and cell-free infectivity of BLV faster and with greater sensitivity than the previous protocol using CC81-GREMG. The new LuSIA protocol is quantitative and more sensitive than the previous assay based on CC81-GREMG cells and will facilitate the development of several new BLV assays.