CD163-Expressing Porcine Macrophages Support NADC30-like and NADC34-like PRRSV Infections

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Virology
• Cell Biology
• Immunology

Background:

• Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) exhibits strict cell tropism, primarily infecting alveolar macrophages.
• While MARC-145 cells are used, they are not susceptible to many NADC30-like and NADC34-like PRRSV strains.
• The scavenger receptor CD163 is known to mediate PRRSV infection in non-permissive cell lines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of porcine CD163 in PRRSV infection.
• To evaluate the susceptibility of CD163-expressing cells to various PRRSV strains.
• To establish a useful cell model for PRRSV research and disease management.

Main Methods:

• Systematic testing of porcine CD163 stably expressing 3D4/21 cells.
• Infection assays using various PRRSV strains.
• Confirmation of infection via Western blotting, immunofluorescence assay, quantitative PCR, and virus titration.

Main Results:

• Porcine CD163-expressing macrophages successfully supported the infection of PRRSV2 from lineages 1, 5, and 8.
• This finding was consistently observed across multiple detection methods.
• The results demonstrate the utility of CD163-expressing macrophages for PRRSV studies.

Conclusions:

• Porcine CD163 is a key factor enabling PRRSV infection in macrophages.
• CD163-expressing macrophages provide a valuable model for studying diverse PRRSV strains, including prevalent NADC30-like and NADC34-like strains in China.
• This research contributes to improved PRRSV research and effective disease management strategies.