Characterization of exosomes in plasma and saliva of domestic cats (Felis catus) and evaluation of their innate immune defense role against infection with Feline leukemia virus (FeLV)

• Grant number: 13/12253-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2013
• End date: January 02, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: João Pessoa Araújo Junior
• Grantee: Claudia Filoni
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IBB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 16/06755-1 - Evaluation of the effect of saliva and plasma exosomes of domestic cats (Felis catus) on feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infected cells in vitro, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is an important retrovirus of the domestic cat (Felis catus) and some wild felids, mainly transmitted by oronasal route through contact with saliva. Most infected cats mount an effective immune response against the virus and present a regressive FeLV infection outcome; these usually are protected from the development of disease. In a lesser proportion of infected cats, the virus establishes a persistent infection associated with an increased likelihood of developing severe and fatal disease. It is not known whether cats that develop regressive infection present a stronger innate immune response at the oronasal mucosa than cats that develop progressive infection. Exosomes, which are circular fragments of membrane containing bioactive molecules actively released from many cell types, may enter into biological fluids and stimulate the immune response. The innate immune response at the oropharingeal mucosa conferred by exosomes present in saliva might influence the course of FeLV infection in cats. We aim to verify if cats presenting regressive FeLV infection outcome contains exosomes in saliva that could neutralize infectious FeLV virions more efficiently than those cats presenting progressive FeLV infection outcome. The presence and characterization of exosomes in saliva and plasma will be accessed by standard laboratory methods. The supposed innate immune role conferred by the exosomes will be evaluated by their capacity of neutralization of FeLV in vitro using standard plaque assays.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FILONI, CLAUDIA; KATRIN HELFER-HUNGERBUEHLER, A.; CATAO-DIAS, JOSE LUIZ; MARQUES, MARA CRISTINA; TORRES, LUCIANA NEVES; REINACHER, MANFRED; HOFMANN-LEHMANN, REGINA. Putative progressive and abortive feline leukemia virus infection outcomes in captive jaguarundis (Puma yagouaroundi). VIROLOGY JOURNAL, v. 14, NOV 17 2017. (13/12253-0)