Japanese Encephalitis Virus Genotype 5 Infectious Clone and Reporter System for Antiviral Evaluation

The recent emergence of Japanese encephalitis virus genotype 5 (JEV5) has raised concerns regarding limited vaccine efficacy. Here, we report the construction of a full-length infectious cDNA clone of JEV5 using a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) system, based on a South Korea isolate, K15P38 strain. The resulting clone enabled recovery of replication-competent virus and was genetically distinguishable from the parental strain via engineered silent mutations. To extend its application, we introduced nanoluciferase and enhanced green fluorescent protein into the viral genome, generating reporter viruses suitable for replication tracking. Both reporter viruses supported real-time quantification of viral replication and demonstrated utility in antiviral compound screening. Antiviral evaluation using the nucleoside analog NITD008 yielded EC₅₀ values consistent between reporter and classical plaque assays. These findings provide a reverse genetics platform for studying JEV5 and suggest applicability for genotype-specific vaccine and antiviral research.