Immunization with a suicidal DNA vaccine expressing the E glycoprotein protects ducklings against duck Tembusu virus

• Main Authors: Jingyu Tang, Zhuangli Bi, Mingyang Ding, Dongdong Yin, Jie Zhu, Li Zhang, Qiuhong Miao, Yingqi Zhu, Guijun Wang, Guangqing Liu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2018-09-01
• Series: Virology Journal
• Subjects: Suicidal DNA vaccine; Duck tembusu virus; E glycoprotein; Ducklings
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12985-018-1053-0

Abstract Backgroud Duck Tembusu virus (DTMUV), a pathogenic flavivirus, emerged in China since 2010 and causing huge economic loss in the Chinese poultry industry. Although several vaccines have been reported to control DTMUV disease, few effective vaccines are available and new outbreaks were continuously reported. Thus, it is urgently to develop a new effective vaccine for prevention of this disease. Methods In this study, a suicidal DNA vaccine based on a Semliki Forest virus (SFV) replicon and DTMUV E glycoprotein gene was constructed and the efficacy of this new vaccine was assessed according to humoral and cell-mediated immune responses as well as protection against the DTMUV challenge in ducklings. Results Our results showed that the recombinant SFV replicon highly expressed E glycoprotein in DEF cells. After intramuscular injection of this new DNA vaccine in ducklings, robust humoral and cellular immune responses were observed in all immunized ducklings. Moreover, all ducklings were protected against challenge with the virulent DTMUV AH-F10 strain. Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrate that this suicidal DNA vaccine is a promising candidate facilitating the prevention of DTMUV infection.