ARS | Publication request: NDV HN gene C-terminal extension is not the determinant of the enteric tropism but influences the virus virulence

Submitted to: American Association of Avian Pathologists
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: January 18, 2012
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Many asymptomatic enteric Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strains contain a larger hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein (616 amino acids, aa) than that (571 aa) of virulent respirotropic NDV strains. Therefore, it has been suspected that the 45 aa extension at the C-terminus of HN influences the virus virulence and tissue tropism. In the present study, we generated two NDV respirotropic strain-based recombinant viruses with the 45 aa extension at its HN protein C-terminus using reverse genetics technology. The biological analysis of these recombinant viruses has demonstrated that the HN protein C-terminal extension is not the determinant of the NDV enteric tropism, but decreases virus virulence.