A recombinant rabies virus expressing luciferase.

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Molecular Biology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Rabies virus (RV) poses a significant public health threat.
• Understanding RV pathogenesis is crucial for developing effective control strategies.
• Reverse genetics systems are vital for manipulating viral genomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To generate a recombinant Rabies virus (RV) expressing firefly luciferase (rRV-luc) using an improved reverse genetics system.
• To compare the biological properties of the recombinant virus with the parental RV.
• To evaluate the potential of rRV-luc as a tool for studying RV pathogenesis.

Main Methods:

• Generation of recombinant RV expressing firefly luciferase (rRV-luc) via an improved reverse genetics system.
• Comparison of growth kinetics and virulence of rRV-luc and parental RV in BHK-21 cells and mice.
• Assessment of luciferase gene expression stability during virus passaging.

Main Results:

• rRV-luc demonstrated similar growth kinetics to the parental RV in BHK-21 cells.
• The recombinant virus exhibited reduced virulence in mice, indicated by lower infectious titers in the brain.
• Stable luciferase expression was observed during virus adaptation and passaging in cell culture.
• Rising infectious titers during passaging suggested virus adaptation.

Conclusions:

• The generated recombinant Rabies virus (rRV-luc) is biologically stable and retains luciferase expression.
• rRV-luc exhibits attenuated virulence compared to the parental RV, making it safer for animal studies.
• This recombinant RV serves as a valuable tool for investigating Rabies virus pathogenesis in small animal models.