Author
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WU, PING |
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REED |
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Lee, Lucy |
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Submitted to: Acta Veterinaria
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 8/8/1998 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Marek's disease (MD), a virus-induced cancer-like disease of chickens, is considered a major disease problem in commercial poultry. The purpose of this research was to identify viral genetic material (genes) which may be involved in protection against the disease. Our approach was to identify a gene named gH which codes for an important product (protein) involving in protection against MD. We have succeeded in identifying and characterizing gH gene and its product. The information obtained from this research will be used to analyze different strains of MD virus and to develop more effective vaccines against the disease. Technical Abstract: A 2439 bp open reading frame (ORF) was identified from the DNA sequence of BamHI F and K2 fragments of MDV GA strain, which predicts a 813 amino acid polypeptide. This peptide is homologous to HSV-1 gH, and has typical glycoprotein features. There are nine potential N-linked glycosylation sit twithin the extracellular domain. A fragment of the gH ORF was cloned into pGEX vector in frame with Glutathione S-tranferase (GST) to produce a GSTgH fusion protein in e. coli. The GSTgH fusion protein was used to develop gH monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies. Expression of gH was detected in DEF infected with MDV-1 GA strain by immunofluorescence assay (IFA) with these antibodies. Virus neutralization and plaque-forming inhibition analyses we conducted with the gH antiserum. There were no neutralization and plaque- forming inhibition activities of gH antiserum. Comparison of the DNA seque eof gH gene between GA and RB1B reveals major difference in the upstream control elements of gH ORF. |
