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Published on: August 2, 2011
Evaluation of the genetic diversity of avian paramyxovirus type 4
Baibaswata Nayak1, Shreeraj Nayak, Anandan Paldurai
1Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
Abstract:
Avian paramyxoviruses (APMVs) belong to the genus Avulavirus in the family Paramyxoviridae and include at least nine serotypes, APMV-1 to -9, as well as two additional provisional serotypes. Newcastle disease virus (NDV), which comprises APMV-1, is the most extensively studied APMV because it is an important poultry pathogen. A moderate level of antigenic and genetic diversity is recognized for APMV-1 isolates, but our knowledge of the antigenic and genetic diversity of the other APMV serotypes is limited. APMV-4 is frequently isolated from waterfowl around the world. To date complete genome sequences of APMV-4 are available for only strains, which were isolated from ducks in Hong Kong, Korea and Belgium over a period of 37 years. We have carried out genome sequencing from the nucleocapsid (N) gene-end signal to the polymerase (L) gene-start signal of five APMV-4 strains recently isolated from Italy. Each of the eight APMV-4 strains has the same F protein cleavage site, DIQPR↓F. They also share a high level of nucleotide and amino acid sequence identity: for example, the F and HN glycoproteins have greater than 97% sequence identity between the various strains. Thus, comparison of these eight strains of APMV-4 did not provide evidence of substantial diversity, in contrast to similar studies with APMV-2, -3, and -6, in which the F and HN glycoproteins exhibited up to 20-30% amino acid sequence variation within a subgroup. Reciprocal cross-HI assay using post infection chicken sera also failed to detect significant antigenic variation among the available APMV-4 strains.
Insights
Avian paramyxovirus type 4 (APMV-4) shows limited genetic and antigenic diversity among strains, unlike other APMV types. Sequencing of Italian APMV-4 strains revealed high sequence identity, suggesting low variability in this waterfowl virus.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Molecular Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Avian paramyxoviruses (APMVs) encompass nine serotypes, with APMV-1 (Newcastle disease virus) being the most studied due to its poultry pathogen status.
- Limited knowledge exists regarding the genetic and antigenic diversity of APMV serotypes beyond APMV-1.
- APMV-4 is commonly found in global waterfowl populations, but complete genome data is scarce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genetic and antigenic diversity of avian paramyxovirus type 4 (APMV-4).
- To sequence and analyze newly isolated APMV-4 strains from Italy.
- To compare the genetic and antigenic properties of APMV-4 with other APMV serotypes.
Main Methods:
- Genome sequencing of five APMV-4 strains from Italy, covering the N gene-end signal to the L gene-start signal.
- Analysis of nucleotide and amino acid sequence identity, focusing on F and HN glycoproteins.
- Reciprocal cross-hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays using post-infection chicken sera.
Main Results:
- All eight analyzed APMV-4 strains shared an identical F protein cleavage site (DIQPR↓F).
- High nucleotide and amino acid sequence identity (>97%) was observed for F and HN glycoproteins among APMV-4 strains.
- Reciprocal cross-HI assays did not reveal significant antigenic variation among the studied APMV-4 strains.
Conclusions:
- APMV-4 exhibits limited genetic and antigenic diversity, contrasting with findings for APMV-2, -3, and -6.
- The conserved F protein cleavage site and high glycoprotein sequence identity support the low diversity observed in APMV-4.
- Further research into APMV diversity is warranted, particularly for understudied serotypes affecting avian populations.
