Infectious bronchitis virus: Identification of Gallus gallus APN high-affinity ligands with antiviral effects

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a coronavirus, causes infectious bronchitis (IB) with high morbidity and mortality, and gives rise to huge economic losses for the poultry industry. Aminopeptidase N (APN) may be one of the IBV functional receptors. In this study, Gallus gallus APN (gAPN) protein was screened by phage-displayed 12-mer peptide library. Two high-affinity peptides H (HDYLYYTFTGNP) and T (TKFSPPSFWYLH) to gAPN protein were selected for in depth characterization of their anti-IBV effects. In vitro, indirect ELISA showed that these two high-affinity ligands could bind IBV S1 antibodies. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay, virus yield reduction assay and indirect immunofluorescence assay results revealed 3.125-50 μg/ml of peptide H and 6.25-50 μg/ml of peptide T reduced IBV proliferation in chicken embryo kidney cells (CEKs). In vivo, high-affinity phage-vaccinated chickens were able to induce specific IBV S1 antibodies and IBV neutralizing antibodies. QRT-PCR results confirmed that high-affinity phages reduced virus proliferation in chicken tracheas, lungs and kidneys, and alleviated IBV-induced lesions. By multiple sequence alignment, motif 'YxYY' and 'FxPPxxWxLH' of high-affinity peptides were identified in IBV S1-NTD, while another motif 'YxFxGN' located in S2. These results indicated that high affinity peptides of gAPN could present an alternative approach to IB prevention or treatment.