Construction of a highly efficient CRISPR/Cas9-mediated duck enteritis virus-based vaccine against H5N1 avian influenza virus and duck Tembusu virus infection

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 1478 - 12
• Main Authors: Zou, Zhong, Huang, Kun, Wei, Yanmin, Chen, Huanchun, Liu, Ziduo, Jin, Meilin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 03-05-2017; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 13/44; 631/326; 631/326/590/1867; 9/10; Animals; Antibodies, Neutralizing - biosynthesis; Antibodies, Viral - biosynthesis; Avian flu; CRISPR; CRISPR-Cas Systems; Cross Protection; Duck plague; Ducks; Enteritis; Epidemics; Flavivirus - genetics; Flavivirus - immunology; Flavivirus - pathogenicity; Flavivirus Infections - immunology; Flavivirus Infections - mortality; Flavivirus Infections - prevention & control; Flavivirus Infections - virology; Gene Editing - methods; Genome editing; Genomes; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus - genetics; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus - immunology; Hemagglutinins; Humanities and Social Sciences; Immune response (cell-mediated); Immune response (humoral); Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype - genetics; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype - immunology; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype - pathogenicity; Influenza in Birds - immunology; Influenza in Birds - mortality; Influenza in Birds - prevention & control; Influenza in Birds - virology; Mardivirus - genetics; Mardivirus - immunology; Mardivirus - pathogenicity; Marek Disease - immunology; Marek Disease - mortality; Marek Disease - prevention & control; Marek Disease - virology; Membrane proteins; multidisciplinary; Pandemics; Poultry Diseases - immunology; Poultry Diseases - mortality; Poultry Diseases - prevention & control; Poultry Diseases - virology; Recombinants; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Survival Analysis; Vaccination; Vaccines; Vaccines, Synthetic; Viral Envelope Proteins - genetics; Viral Envelope Proteins - immunology; Viral Vaccines - administration & dosage; Viral Vaccines - biosynthesis; Viral Vaccines - genetics; Viruses
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01554-1

Duck enteritis virus (DEV), duck tembusu virus (DTMUV), and highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 are the most important viral pathogens in ducks, as they cause significant economic losses in the duck industry. Development of a novel vaccine simultaneously effective against these three viruses is the most economical method for reducing losses. In the present study, by utilizing a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/associated 9 (Cas9)-mediated gene editing strategy, we efficiently generated DEV recombinants (C-KCE-HA/PrM-E) that simultaneously encode the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of HPAIV H5N1 and pre-membrane proteins (PrM), as well as the envelope glycoprotein (E) gene of DTMUV, and its potential as a trivalent vaccine was also evaluated. Ducks immunized with C-KCE-HA/PrM-E enhanced both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to H5N1 and DTMUV. Importantly, a single-dose of C-KCE-HA/PrM-E conferred solid protection against virulent H5N1, DTMUV, and DEV challenges. In conclusion, these results demonstrated for the first time that the CRISPR/Cas9 system can be applied for modification of the DEV genome rapidly and efficiently, and that recombinant C-KCE-HA/PrM-E can serve as a potential candidate trivalent vaccine to prevent H5N1, DTMUV, and DEV infections in ducks.